Recipe Sifter

Lobster stir-fried in sesame and chili oil, tossed with angel hair pasta, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, bell peppers, and a rich soy butter sauce. Restaurant-level wow factor at home.

Pork cutlets with smothered parmesan green beans pairs fast-seared pork with frenched green beans braised slow in shallots, white wine, cream, and sage. A one-skillet dinner.

Creamy onion and garlic soup thickened with a roux and enriched with heavy cream, white wine, and beef stock. Topped with broiled blue cheese croutons.

Classic New Orleans bananas Foster: halved bananas caramelized in brown sugar and butter, flambeed with rum, and spooned over French vanilla ice cream tableside.

Rich chocolate Bundt cake made with Dutch process cocoa, espresso, buttermilk, and five eggs, topped with a glossy bittersweet chocolate glaze. A deeply chocolatey, bakery-quality cake.

Cream cheese dough rolled with apricot preserves and walnuts, sliced into crescent-shaped cookies and baked until golden.

Smooth, naturally sweet baby food puree blending tender carrots with brown rice. Freeze in ice cube trays for single-serve portions packed with vitamins and fiber.

Fudgy chocolate espresso bars with cocoa, instant espresso, and chopped pecans, topped with a whipped chocolate chip frosting. Rich, dense, and deeply caffeinated.

Here's a recipe that I make whenever I'm recruited to make dessert for a dinner party. It's perfect for Passover since it contains no flour, but I bake it 12 months of the year.

Three-layer chocolate souffle cake filled and frosted with homemade chocolate pudding made from scratch. Light, airy layers meet thick, velvety custard.

Shortbread crust and lots of fresh plums, simple ingredients make this delicious plum tart!

A soft, savory yeast bread baked in a casserole dish with cottage cheese, dill, and onion. No kneading required, just mix, rise, and bake for a tender homemade loaf with herb-flecked flavor.

Georgia pecan biscotti with toasted pecans and orange zest, twice-baked until shatteringly crisp. A Southern twist on the Italian classic, perfect for dunking.

Pecan breaded oysters sauteed golden and served on the half shell with a vanilla bean, cucumber, and tomato cream sauce. A refined seafood appetizer with Southern elegance.

Curried pumpkin soup with shrimp, coconut milk, jalapeno, and lime juice. A creamy, spiced bisque-style soup pureed smooth with shrimp stirred in at the end.

Buttery shortbread crust topped with sticky honey-pecan caramel that sets into chewy, candied perfection. Cut into diamonds and dust with powdered sugar for elegant cookie bars.