Recipe Sifter

Crab butter dip with cream cheese, mayo, lemon, Worcestershire, and real crab meat, chilled and topped with cocktail sauce. A rich, no-cook party appetizer for crackers.

Scallops with garlic, ginger and chives: bay scallops seared in butter, baked in coquille dishes under a parmesan-bread crumb crust. A 30-minute dinner party appetizer with restaurant polish.

An intensely savory Vietnamese anchovy dipping sauce (mam nem) with fresh pineapple, garlic, chili, and fish sauce. The essential condiment for beef fondue and grilled meats.

Fragrant Asian pesto with peanuts, fresh basil, mint, cilantro, green chilies, and ginger. A bold, herbaceous sauce for noodles that's ready in 15 minutes. Vegetarian-friendly.

Hunkar begendi, a classic Turkish dish of smoked eggplant folded into a creamy bechamel sauce with mozzarella and nutmeg. Smoky, silky, and rich from charring the eggplant whole.

Paper bag apple pie: a vintage baking trick that wraps the whole pie in a brown paper bag during baking. Tender apples, golden streusel top, and an evenly browned crust without scorching.

A delicious spread made with mushrooms, garlic and pecorino-romano cheese that is best served with tasty bread rounds.

Hand-rolled Greek stuffed grape leaves filled with seasoned beef or lamb, rice, currants, pine nuts, and mint. Simmered until tender and served with a classic avgolemono egg-lemon sauce. Makes 60.

Homemade papaya liqueur infused in vodka with lemon zest for one week, then strained and aged. Just 4 ingredients for a tropical, fruity spirit. Best made in May or June.

In this recipe Quebec snow crab is combined with brocolli, oven-poached and served on a sauce, nouveau cuisine fashion.

Apfelquarkkuchen, the German apple and cream cheese kuchen, layers a tender yeast-dough base with cinnamon-tossed Granny Smith apples and a sweetened cream cheese topping. Traditional bakery-style.

Herring salad with apples, dill pickles, and horseradish in a sour cream sauce. Matjes herring soaked in buttermilk overnight, then dressed for a classic Northern European appetizer.

German French Toast baked crispy in breadcrumbs, topped with smoked bratwurst, caramelized onions, tart apple slices, and cinnamon-sugar. A hearty sweet-savory breakfast ready in under an hour.

Poached eggs and sautéed crabmeat layered in ramekins and blanketed with a flamed brandy cream sauce. An elegant brunch main with cayenne heat and a dusting of paprika.

Fried turtle meat simmered in a dark roux-based tomato sauce with mushrooms, shallots, bell pepper, lemon peel, and cayenne, served over hot rice. An authentic Louisiana Cajun dish that's as wild as the bayou itself.

Barley broth with chicken, sauteed mushrooms, ribbony leeks, and a crushed chicken liver base enriched with lemon zest and garlic. A hearty British-style soup that doubles as a stew.