Recipe Sifter

Three-layer German white chocolate cake with buttermilk, pecans, and coconut, topped with a cooked coconut-pecan frosting. A rich twist on the classic German chocolate cake.

This gingery cookie is crisp and has a hint of orange flavor. It is ideal for gingerbread people or holiday cookie shapes.

Homemade maple syrup ice cream served in crisp sablé pastry barquettes with a maple custard sauce. A French-style plated dessert made from real vanilla beans and pure maple syrup.

Mesquite-grilled chicken breast marinated in coriander, thyme, and garlic, topped with a fresh citrus sauce of lemon, lime, orange, and Grand Marnier.

Mocha truffle cake: a flourless dark chocolate cake built with a pound of chocolate, a pound of butter, eight eggs, and strong coffee. Chilled overnight and frosted with vanilla whipped cream.

Chocolate raspberry brownies hide a ribbon of raspberry jam baked into the center of a dense, fudgy walnut brownie. A clever freezing trick suspends the jam mid-batter so every square has a tart raspberry surprise.

French onion soup fondue with butter-sauteed onions simmered in beef broth, chilled to remove fat, then broiled with Monterey Jack cheese on thick sourdough toast.

French onion tart with a handmade butter pastry, slow-cooked onions, bacon, and a silky cream custard. Baked low and slow for a rich, golden filling.

Orange poppy seed pound cakes bake fresh orange juice, zest, and crunchy poppy seeds into individual butter loaves. Make-ahead holiday gift cake.

Overnight French toast soaks rich challah in a cinnamon-vanilla custard so it fries up golden and custardy in the morning, no fuss. Served with a homemade cinnamon cream syrup you can make a week ahead.

Spiced pepper cake with pumpkin, prunes, crystallized ginger, and walnuts. Black pepper adds a warm, unexpected bite to this deeply flavored autumn loaf cake.

Peppernut pear tart with fanned ripe pears on a lebkuchen-hazelnut frangipane filling in buttery shortcrust pastry, spiked with ginger wine. A stunning British-style autumn dessert.

Pistachio chicken stuffs pounded chicken breasts with pistachios, mushrooms, and ham, then bakes them under an apricot-chutney glaze. An elegant dinner-party main with sweet, savory, and nutty in every bite.

Potage au potiron, a silky French pumpkin soup with onion, white wine, turnip and carrot, enriched with cream and buttery croutons, then served right inside the hollowed pumpkin shell. A showstopping autumn first course.

Handmade pumpkin ravioli with a spiced pumpkin-carrot filling, served in a garlic cream sauce with toasted hazelnuts and wilted sorrel. A showpiece fall pasta.

Chocolate praline mousse from Quatorze layered with hazelnut praline paste, creme de cacao, and a whisper of espresso. Classic French bistro dessert that chills overnight into pure silk.