Recipe Sifter

Italian nut ball cookies coated in chopped pistachios with a jelly-filled center. Almond extract and vanilla give these thumbprint cookies classic Italian bakery flavor.

Tender sirloin cubes and sliced mushrooms baked under golden puff pastry with beef broth. This British-style steak and mushroom pie is a hearty, savory main dish worth every minute of prep.

Cherry chocolate chip cookies with chopped maraschino cherries, semi-sweet chips, and almond extract in a chewy brown sugar dough. Bake 8 minutes for chewy, 13 for crisp.

Eggnog layer cake is a tender, nutmeg-scented two-layer cake made with dairy eggnog and topped with cooked-custard eggnog buttercream spiked with rum. A Christmas showpiece cake.

Crab bisque with real crab meat simmered in chicken broth and finished with light cream and cayenne. A rich, velvety 30-minute seafood soup with simple ingredients.

Fish Florentine with tender fillets poached in court bouillon, layered over creamed spinach, and topped with a Swiss cheese sauce broiled until golden.

Three-layer buttermilk cake with cranberries, pecans, shredded wheat cereal, and orange zest, topped with orange cream cheese frosting. A unique, textured celebration cake with tangy-sweet flavor.

Lemon pignoli biscotti with toasted pine nuts, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest. Twice-baked into crisp, citrusy Italian cookies perfect for dipping.

Spiced prune walnut bread with simmered chopped prunes, cinnamon, cloves, and crunchy walnuts. Eggless quick bread with deep, jammy prune flavor and a tender whole wheat crumb.

Chewy date and nut cookie balls rolled in powdered sugar. Baked in a sheet pan, cut into squares while hot, then shaped by hand into bite-sized treats with almond extract and corn syrup.

The 2nd place winner in the Chicago Tribune's 1996 Annual Holiday Cookie Contest, a simple brown-sugar shortbread from Sandra Petrille of Naperville, Illinois.

Chewy ginger cookies made with prune butter instead of fat, loaded with warm spices and molasses. Low-fat but big on flavor with crispy edges and soft centers.

Gulf Coast shrimp Mornay with scallops and oysters in a rich three-cheese sauce topped with buttery cracker crumbs. Named for Alabama's shrimping capital, this is Southern seafood luxury at its finest.

Buttery shortbread crust layered with Cool Whip, a thick cream cheese vanilla pudding filling, more whipped topping, and chopped nuts. The pie that earned its bold name.

Crisp, buttery slice-and-bake cookies with brown sugar, a hint of nutmeg, and bold black walnut flavoring. Shape the dough into logs, chill overnight, and slice thin for a quick batch of 48.

Hearty bluefish chowder with crispy bacon, tender potatoes, and a rich white sauce thickened with evaporated milk. Seasoned with tarragon, rosemary, and basil for a New England-style fish soup.