Recipe Sifter

Monkfish with Garlic and Herb Butter (Irish) recipe

This is an authentic family recipe that my mother taught me in 1950 in New Orleans. It makes a great dinner party main dish. Like chinese food, it is long on chopping and assembling, but goes together and cooks rather quickly.

Traditional baked Christmas pudding with candied fruits, pecans, molasses, and warm spices, served with brandy sauce. A festive holiday dessert with an optional flambé presentation.

Bisquick beef potpie with vegetables tops a savory ground beef, mushroom and pea-carrot gravy with split Bisquick biscuits, then bakes golden. An easy, comforting weeknight potpie with no pastry to roll.

A succulent dish made with savory pork, chopped onions and juicy tomatoes.

Old-fashioned 1850 blackberry pie with five ingredients. Berries baked into a single crust under a flour, sugar, and milk custard for a rustic 19th-century farmhouse pie that sets into a soft, jammy slice.

Mincemeat muffins with brandied fruit filling, chopped walnuts, and apple juice. Warmly spiced, fruity holiday muffins that bake up tender and studded with nuts.

Classic crabmeat au gratin baked in a buttery cream sauce with sauteed vegetables, egg yolks, and a golden cheddar crust. Rich, bubbly, and pure Louisiana comfort.

Rustic skillet hash with leftover roast beef or venison, chunky potatoes, and onions browned in bacon drippings, then simmered in beefy gravy with a touch of chili powder.

Sawdust salad layered jello dessert with lemon-orange gelatin, pineapple custard, and cream cheese whipped topping. Vintage church potluck dish that’s sweet, light, and ready in stages.

This cherry cake is studded with almonds and candied cherries. My husbands favorite.

Scottish meatballs in a sweet-savory sauce made with crushed pineapple, Scotch whisky, soy sauce, and red wine vinegar. Serve over rice for Hogmanay or any night.

A smooth, puréed Norwegian cauliflower soup thickened with a light roux and skim milk, finished with white pepper and a dusting of nutmeg. Cozy, low-calorie comfort in a bowl.

Prize winning shepherd's pie made with ground roast beef, mushrooms, red wine, and a splash of cognac. Slow-simmered filling under egg-washed mashed potatoes, baked golden. The cottage pie elevated.

Egg-free and dairy-free carob cake made with whole wheat flour, honey, and a splash of apple cider vinegar for lift. Naturally sweet, moist, and ready in under an hour.

Red velvet pound cake baked low and slow in a tube pan with cocoa, shortening, and seven eggs for a dense, velvety crumb. Topped with cream cheese icing.