105 plate recipes

Mascarpone sandwiched between crispy ginger brandy wafers with caramelized fresh figs and orange sauce. A stunning restaurant-style plated dessert with snap and tuile textures.

Grilled chicken and avocado fans topped with fresh strawberry serrano salsa and crispy fried corn tortilla strips. A bright, colorful Mexican-inspired plated dish.

Grilled chicken breasts marinated in soy sauce, honey, lime, and cayenne, topped with fresh mango salsa and caper mayonnaise. Three components, one stunning summer plate.

Cheese tortellini tossed with crisp-tender asparagus in a lemon-thyme cream sauce finished with Parmesan. An elegant 18-minute dinner that tastes like spring on a plate.

Bananas halved and pan-fried in butter until golden, then dusted with sugar and cinnamon. Four ingredients, 15 minutes, and pure warm comfort on a plate.

Chocolate phyllo crisps: three sheets of phyllo brushed with cocoa-clarified butter, sugared between layers, and baked flat under a weight. Elegant chocolate wafer garnish for plated desserts.

Sauteed catfish dredged in thyme-flour, pan-fried golden, then plated under a sweet-tangy ginger peach sauce and toasted pecans. The Southern fish-fry tradition meets summer fruit in one elegant skillet dinner.

Roasted langoustines on mesquite-charred bell peppers with wilted arugula, blanched French green beans and aged balsamic. Quick-seared shellfish that hits the plate in 60 seconds total.

Broiled lamb chops glazed with a lime, ginger, and peach syrup sauce, served alongside broiled peach halves. A sweet-tart pairing that takes under 30 minutes from start to plate.

Grilled tempeh with red onion and eggplant on toasted whole wheat bread, marinated in red wine, rosemary, garlic, and fennel. A smoky, vegetarian open-faced grill plate with Italian roots.

This was very good. I prepared the salads individually on salad plates and fanned the pears for a more elegant look.

Sauteed shrimp with Earl Grey tea deglaze, asparagus, roasted red peppers, couscous, and papaya salsa. A fine-dining plate with unexpected bergamot flavor.

Lobster Monte Carlo plates grilled lobster and shrimp over vegetable risotto with asparagus and portobello, finished in lemon butter sauce. A restaurant-style Mother's Day dinner for two.

Asparagus cornet with lemon dressing wraps puff pastry into golden cones, fills them with crisp-tender asparagus spears, and serves over a homemade lemon-mustard mayonnaise. Restaurant-grade plated appetizer for special occasions.

Vegan chili enchiladas with marinated tofu in a soy-peanut-tomato base, rolled in corn tortillas and baked under a from-scratch chili enchilada sauce. Hearty plant-based dinner that fills 10 plates.

Tomato and watermelon salad with cucumber, avocado, fresh herbs, and freshly ground coriander seed in an aged balsamic vinaigrette. A juicy, summery side dish that tastes like August on a plate.