Recipe Sifter

A multi-layered chocolate showstopper: fudgy brownie, chocolate ganache, cocoa meringue, mocha mousse, and rum sauce all in one jaw-dropping dessert.

Pasta tossed with homemade basil pesto, a light olive oil bechamel, sun-dried tomatoes, and toasted breadcrumbs. A layered Italian pasta with three sauces in one bowl.

Tex-Mex beans with cornmeal dumplings simmered in a skillet. Chickpeas and kidney beans in chili-spiced tomato sauce topped with fluffy cornmeal drop dumplings.

A simple lemon-scented butter cake split in half, layered with vanilla pudding, fresh berries, and clouds of whipped cream. Old-school German Erdbeertorte energy with minimal effort.

Funnel cake: classic state-fair fried batter poured through a funnel in a spiral pattern, fried golden, and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. The Pennsylvania Dutch carnival treat.

Old-fashioned fruit dessert salad with pineapple chunks, sliced bananas, and marshmallows tossed in a hot custard sauce made from pineapple juice and cream.

Liver dumplings (leberknödel) blend scraped beef liver with lard, breadcrumbs, egg, and parsley, then poach in clear broth. Single-serving Austrian-German soup garnish.

Deep-fried squid the easy way: tender rings tossed in seasoned flour and fried golden and crisp in hot oil, ready in minutes. Homemade calamari to serve with lemon wedges and your favorite dipping sauce.

Pan-fried trout with sage and almonds coats whole trout in a ground almond, sage, and flour crust, then sears it in hot peanut oil until golden and crisp. A weeknight-fast riverside classic ready in 30 minutes.

Frosted peanut butter cookies with a homemade peanut butter and powdered sugar frosting. Soft, chewy drop cookies loaded with double the peanut butter flavor.

Low-calorie sausage and cheese biscuits with turkey sausage, bran, buttermilk, and reduced-fat cheddar. A lighter take on a breakfast classic.

Irish garlic mackerel rubbed with minced garlic, dipped in egg and flour, and pan-fried in butter until golden. Five ingredients, 20 minutes, and a crispy, garlicky crust on rich, oily fish.

Chocolate oatmeal macaroons with cocoa, rolled oats, and a hint of almond extract. Crispy edges, chewy centers, and a rich cocoa flavor in every bite.

Poached apples with maple cream sauce made from real maple syrup, butter, and half-and-half. An elegant fall dessert with whole tender apples in a rich, reduced maple sauce.

Onion and mushroom bhajis are Indian-style fritters dipped in spiced yogurt batter and deep-fried golden. Crisp, vegetarian appetizer with turmeric, cumin, coriander, and chili. Makes 10 fritters.

Pan-seared veal cutlets with a woodsy sauce of shiitake mushrooms, spring fiddleheads, crispy pancetta, and sherry. A restaurant-style spring main that comes together in under 30 minutes.