Recipe Sifter

A must on your Christmas cookie tray. Despite the lemony frosting, the cinnamon flavor comes through.

For that definitive French touch, an enriched Bechamel sauce.

Fave dolci, Italian almond cookies shaped like fava beans with ground almonds, orange flower water, lemon zest, and cinnamon. A traditional Southern Italian sweet.

Flourless chocolate goo cake made with three-quarters of a pound of butter, semi-sweet chocolate, milk, and seven egg yolks. An intensely fudgy, barely-baked chocolate dessert served cold with whipped cream.

Hazelnut succes cake: two crisp hazelnut-meringue discs sandwiched with silky praline buttercream, crusted with crushed praline. A classic French patisserie showstopper.

These delicious green cookies are not just good at St. Patrick's Day, they are popular all the time!

Salmon en papillote steamed in parchment with seared zucchini, crookneck squash, onion, merlot, lemon butter, and Grand Marnier. A 7-minute oven finish for restaurant-style presentation.

Homemade kiwi fruit jellies made with fresh kiwi puree, lemon juice, and pectin, then cut into shapes and rolled in sugar. A bright, tangy candy that looks as good as it tastes.

Kos lemon pie, a Greek almond and honey tart in a lemon shortcrust pastry, soaked in lemon syrup and dusted with powdered sugar. An elegant Mediterranean dessert with bright citrus flavor.

I liked these a lot. The poppyseed taste is subtle yet makes them a little different and more "elegant" than ordinary butter cookies.

Rhubarb-apple crunch layers tart rhubarb and sliced apples under a brown sugar oat crumble, baked until bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a spring dessert.

White chocolate coconut truffles with shredded coconut, a splash of coconut liqueur, and a creamy white chocolate ganache center. Easy make-ahead holiday candy.

Super chocolate truffles use semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate, butter, and orange liqueur for a rich, boozy ganache cut into squares and rolled in cocoa. Classic French confection, dressed up with Cointreau.

White chocolate almond brownies with a full cup of butter and 12 ounces of melted white chocolate in a dense, fudgy batter topped with slivered almonds. Rich, blond, and chewy.

Vanilla bean creme brulee tartlets, silky custard set in a crisp buttery pastry shell and finished with a torched, crackly caramel top. Crowned with whipped cream and fresh berries for an elegant dessert.

Swiss meringue buttercream that's silky-smooth and never gritty or cloying. Whip warmed egg whites and sugar into a glossy meringue, beat in butter, and finish with vanilla for a bakery-quality frosting.