Recipe Sifter

Duck gumbo simmers deboned duck in a dark butter roux with okra, tomatoes, and the Cajun holy trinity for a rich bayou stew. Ladle over rice for a Louisiana cold-weather classic.

Slow cooker festive meatballs made with ground beef, deviled ham, allspice, and dill, finished in a sour cream gravy. A Scandinavian-style party meatball for crockpot entertaining.

Mocha nut rounds are slice-and-bake icebox cookies flavored with instant coffee and semi-sweet chocolate. Edges dipped in milk chocolate, then rolled in chopped pistachios for a striking holiday cookie tray finish.

Homemade white bread enriched with butter, eggs, milk, and a hint of vanilla. A heritage big-batch recipe that yields five or six golden, tender loaves with a soft sandwich crumb.

A trail-worthy chili made from beef jerky, chili powder, cumin seeds, and oregano simmered low and slow until the jerky rehydrates and turns tender. No fresh meat or refrigeration needed.

Roasted duck with a green peppercorn and star anise sauce made from homemade duck giblet broth. The duck is salt-poached first, then roasted until crispy. A refined French-inspired main course.

Six-layer chocolate coffee torte with buttermilk cocoa cake, coffee-spiked whipped cream, and crushed Heath Bar toffee pressed into every layer and all over the outside.

Ragout de boulettes: Quebec-style pork meatball stew with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a browned flour gravy. A traditional French-Canadian holiday dish.

Buttermilk chocolate bar nut cake: a dense, fudgy tube cake made with melted milk chocolate bars, chocolate syrup, buttermilk, and chopped nuts. A vintage Southern dessert showstopper.

Stunning braided vegetable bread made from three colorful doughs: tomato red, spinach green, and beetroot pink. A showpiece loaf that's as fun to bake as it is to eat.

Medieval-style meat cakes with pork shoulder, dates, raisins, pistachios, and saffron baked into a buttery pastry shell. Ancient sweet-savory tart that blends pork with dried fruits and warm spices.

Norwegian kringla cookies shaped into figure-eights with a tender buttermilk dough. Chilled overnight, baked fast at high heat for a light, slightly sweet pastry.

Apple cranberry pie with Granny Smith slices, whole cranberries, and an oat-cinnamon crumble topping. The Thanksgiving pie that combines pie and crisp.

Buttery cake squares filled with cherry pie filling that bake up golden and tender. Each square gets a ruby-red cherry center and a dusting of powdered sugar for simple elegance.

Adorable oatmeal roll-out cookies shaped and decorated like cherry trees with red cinnamon candies, green sugar crystals, and chocolate sprinkle trunks. Makes 36.

A flourless-style chocolate cake with ground almonds, rum-soaked currants, and pine nuts on top. Bittersweet chocolate and whipped egg whites create an intensely fudgy, gluten-light torte.