Recipe Sifter

Paul's Barbeque Sauce: a layered Cajun BBQ sauce with bacon, dark-caramelized onions, pecans, citrus rinds, and honey. Built on a classic seasoning mix and finished with butter.

Lamb shank and bean casserole inspired by French cassoulet: garlic-studded shanks braised in red wine and beef stock, layered with beans, caramelized onions, and topped with bacon and golden breadcrumbs.

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.

French-style almond macaroons piped from almond paste, filled with rum-spiked chocolate ganache, and dipped in a semisweet chocolate glaze. An elegant three-part cookie.

Twice baked potato casserole gives you all the stuffed-potato flavor with none of the scooping hassle. Russet flesh baked with sour cream, bacon, cubed and grated cheddar, and green onions.

Chocolate coconut crunch cookies loaded with chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and chopped roasted almonds. Slow-baked at low heat for a crispy, chewy cookie with toasted edges.

Coffee-walnut toffee cooked to 290F with espresso, molasses, and cinnamon, then topped with swirled bittersweet chocolate and more toasted walnuts. A two-week make-ahead candy.

Bolognese sponge cake layered with vanilla custard and rum, frosted in coffee zabaglione buttercream, then crowned with chocolate-dipped almonds and walnut sides. From Il Cantoncino restaurant in Bologna.

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.

Banana walnut upside-down cake with a brown sugar-maple syrup caramel, sliced bananas in concentric circles, and a cinnamon butter cake. Served warm with whipped cream.

Prudhomme-style Cajun barbecue sauce with bacon, pecans, honey, citrus, and a triple-pepper seasoning blend. Simmered thick and blended for chicken, pork, or ribs.

A British-style crumble cake with a buttery almond and cinnamon base, a layer of stewed blackberries and apples, and a golden crumble topping. Warm, fruity, and brilliant served with cream or custard.

Creamy baked chicken curry layered over rice with tart Granny Smith apples and buttery avocado slices. A rich yogurt-cream sauce ties it all together in this 30-minute casserole.

This is my son's recipe for sea scallops, He is executive chef at the East End Cafe in Washington.

Egg and watercress finger sandwiches layer creamy egg salad with peppery watercress on buttered whole-wheat bread, sliced into elegant fingers for tea, brunch, or bridal showers.