Recipe Sifter

Pecan tarts with caramel sauce: flaky homemade pastry shells filled with a brown-butter pecan filling, baked golden, then drizzled with silky amber caramel. Individual holiday tartlets worth the effort.

Summer blueberry tart, a French-style dessert with a buttery pate brisee crust and a filling that's half cooked blueberry glaze, half fresh berries, for vivid flavor and a clean slice. Lovely with creme fraiche.

Whole wheat sour cream pancakes with separated eggs for extra fluffiness, sweetened with honey. Tender, tangy weekend breakfast pancakes that aren't dense or dry.

The sauce here is no kin whatsoever to the ketchupy stuff that too often swamps cold seafood; it's a good bet with cold shrimp or crabmeat, too.

Traditional Austrian Topfenkuchen with a buttery pastry base and airy cottage cheese filling scented with lemon zest, topped with raisins and almonds. A classic European cheesecake baked into elegant squares.

Light-as-air banana chiffon cake with tangy cream cheese frosting. Ripe bananas meet fluffy egg whites for a moist, tender crumb that melts on your tongue.

Six layers of indulgence: buttery shortbread crust, from-scratch vanilla pudding, cream cheese mousse, crushed pineapple, caramel drizzle, whipped cream, and a chocolate glaze zigzag on top.

Crispy deep-fried spring rolls packed with curry-marinated ground chicken, cellophane noodles, napa cabbage, and fresh vegetables. Served with a fiery homemade chili-cilantro dipping sauce that brings serious heat.

Summer squash quiche with sauteed onions and Swiss cheese in a buttermilk custard seasoned with oregano. A versatile vegetarian main that works as an appetizer or entree.

Authentic Pennsylvania Dutch shoo fly pie with a deep molasses filling and spiced brown sugar crumb topping with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. A true wet-bottom pie from the Amish tradition.

Classic lobster Thermidor: tail meat folded into a sherry cream sauce with cheddar and mushrooms, piled back into the shell and broiled with Parmesan and paprika.

Slice-and-bake coconut refrigerator cookies with a coconut-crusted exterior and a pecan half on top. Crispy, buttery, and freezer-friendly for up to three months of fresh-baked cookies on demand.

Chocolate cake with almonds baked in a spring form pan.

Americana key lime pie: a vintage chiffon-style version with gelatin, fluffy egg whites, and folded whipped cream piled into a baked shell. Cool, mousse-light, garnished with pistachios.

Light, airy no-bake cheesecake made with blended cottage cheese, gelatin, and bright lemon, crowned with tangy lemon curd topping for a refreshing make-ahead dessert.

Marbled caramel mocha cheesecake with swirled chocolate and coffee layers on a crushed Oreo crust. Dark brown sugar, milk chocolate chips, and a slow bake for a crack-free finish.