Recipe Sifter

Garlic shrimp crostini on toasted French bread rounds with a garlicky cream cheese spread, cherry tomato halves, and fresh parsley. Makes 24 bite-sized party appetizers.

Giant prawns stuffed with smoked salmon, bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley, then broiled in white wine and finished with a butter pan sauce. An elegant seafood appetizer for two.

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

Butter-seared pork loin with a tangy blackberry gastrique and fresh mango-mint salsa. A restaurant-quality dish with bright, fruity contrast in just 30 minutes.

Sharp cheddar cheese crisps made with just 4 ingredients: aged cheddar, butter, whole wheat flour, and salt. Crispy, savory baked crackers ready in 20 minutes.

Caramelized shallots cook low in butter and sugar until deeply golden and almost candy-sweet. A four-ingredient French side that elevates roast meats, pasta, pizza, and grain bowls.

French-style scrambled eggs cooked low and slow with butter and cream, then folded with tender lobster chunks, sweet bell pepper, and fresh chives. Brunch just got fancy.

Buttery pecan shortbread balls rolled in snowy powdered sugar for these melt-in-your-mouth Mexican wedding cookies. A holiday favorite that's actually simple enough for weeknight baking.

Awesome White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Macadamia Nuts recipe

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

Classic French steak au poivre with tri-color peppercorn crust, cognac flambe, and rich cream pan sauce. Restaurant-quality pepper steak in under 30 minutes for an elegant dinner.

Brown sugar ginger snaps cream butter with brown sugar, an egg yolk, and ground ginger into a roll-and-cut dough. Crisp edges, tender centers, no molasses needed.

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.

Cumberland rum butter with dark brown sugar, unsalted butter, and rum. Traditional British hard sauce for Christmas pudding and mince pies.

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

Fettuccine alla panna with just three ingredients: butter, cream, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The original Italian cream pasta, simpler and purer than Alfredo.