Recipe Sifter

Overnight souffle layers buttered bread, mushrooms, onions, bacon, Anaheim chilies, dill, and cheddar between an egg-cream-Dijon custard, then chills overnight and bakes into a puffy strata. The make-ahead brunch hero for holiday mornings.

Fresh or in a pinch canned tomatoes add depth to the rice in this fluffy pilaf. A great side dish and I usually finish cooking the rice using my rice cooker while I'm busy watching the Food Network!

Chinese-style salsa with sautéed shiitake mushrooms, teriyaki, fresh tomato, scallions, and sesame oil. A savory umami-loaded dip with chili heat and bright cilantro lift.

Braised Sunday pot roast with vegetables, garlic, and thyme in a rich red-wine gravy. Classic French-style braise that delivers fork-tender beef and a deeply flavored sauce for family dinner.

Fresh tomato soup with a bouquet garni of parsley, bay leaf, celery, thyme, and marjoram, pureed smooth with caramelized onion and a butter roux. Topped with sour cream and fresh dill.

Fish broth with oysters and saffron simmers a homemade fish fumet with juniper, leeks, and white wine, then adds clams, just-curled oysters, mung bean threads, radicchio, and saffron at serving. A delicate, restaurant-style seafood consomme.

Grilled grouper marinated in olive oil, lemon, and garlic, topped with a garlic beurre rouge sauce of tomatoes, green chilies, cilantro, and butter.

Fillets of sole Riviera are breaded and pan-fried, served on roasted pepper strips with thick tomato slices, rolled anchovies, and a warm anchovy-lemon butter. A stunning French-Italian seafood platter.

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Black Olive Sauce (Postrio's) recipe

Halibut steaks Marengo with a rich tomato-mushroom sauce, Greek olives, and a parsley-garlic-lemon gremolata. A classic French-inspired fish dish thickened with beurre manie.

A quick salsa tops this omelette stuffed with avocado and bacon and cheese.

Madelaine's tomato basil soup with fresh tomatoes, fragrant basil, heavy cream, and butter. A classic creamy bistro-style soup made with just 6 ingredients in 60 minutes.

Mughlai-style mixed vegetable curry with paneer, cream, pineapple, and golden raisins. A rich, mildly spiced North Indian dish that finishes with a sprinkle of fried nuts for royal-court flair.

Bacon, avocado, and Monterey Jack omelet served with fresh jalapeno-cilantro tomato salsa. A Tex-Mex breakfast for two with crisp bacon, creamy avocado, and bright homemade salsa.

A fiery Cajun shrimp sauce piquant loaded with three types of pepper, jalapenos, the holy trinity, and tomatoes simmered in seafood stock. Spooned over rice, this Louisiana classic brings serious heat and soul.

Vegetable lasagna layered with spinach, broccoli, carrots, and shallots between a parmesan bechamel and a ricotta-mozzarella-egg cheese filling. White-sauce lasagna with no red sauce.