Recipe Sifter

Chocolate and caramel give this thumbprint cookie from Kathy T. Preston of Milwaukee a different twist.

Orange angel food cake with cardamom caramel sauce and tropical fruit compote of mango, passion fruit, kiwi, and blood orange. A three-part make-ahead showstopper for dinner parties.

We have always been great lovers of mushrooms, wild and cultivated. This dish was usually made with meadow or button mushrooms, but the cultivated ones will fill in just as easily and be almost as good.

Tiny French cheese pastry sandwiches made with sharp cheddar dough and a melted Swiss cheese filling. Flaky, buttery, and gone in two bites. Makes 46 croutes.

A triple-threat chocolate dessert worthy of its name: brownie shell, coffee-Kahlua chocolate mousse filling, and a glossy chocolate-coffee glaze finished with chocolate curls. Twenty ounces of chocolate across three layers. Slice thin. Share grudgingly.

Sage-rubbed bone-in pork loin roasted on chine bones with a silky cream gravy built from pan drippings, mirepoix, stock, milk, and roux. A professional-quality Sunday roast.

Try this succulent quiche that's made with swiss chard, belpaese and parmesan cheese.

Pan-seared filet mignon on butter-fried bread rounds with a mushroom cream sauce and Scotch whisky pan sauce. A luxurious steakhouse dinner with classic French presentation.

Austrian Wiener Schnitzel seasoned with Worcestershire, mustard, and Parmesan, then breaded and pan-fried in butter. Served with a velvety tomato-cream sauce that steals the show.

Absolutely creamy and delicious way to prepare thrifty chicken legs and thighs.

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, prosciutto, Parmesan, and fresh basil, baked in a garlic-anchovy cream sauce. An Italian dinner party dish in 45 minutes.

Chocolate cream torte made from four cocoa cookie layers stacked with whipped chocolate cream filling. Chills overnight so the cookie layers soften into cake-like slices.

Three-layer chocolate souffle cake filled and frosted with homemade chocolate pudding made from scratch. Light, airy layers meet thick, velvety custard.

Showstopper pecan pie with homemade toffee crunch, caramel sauce drizzle, and pastry-leaf crust decoration. A Thanksgiving centerpiece that earns every compliment.

White chocolate mousse cake layered between sheets of genoise with candied citrus peel, pine nuts and shaved white chocolate curls. An elegant layered dessert with bright grapefruit, orange and lemon zest running through every bite.

A new twist on a Thanksgiving classic! This pumpkin pie has a rich maple flavor and a delicately crisp bruleed top.