81 shine recipes

New Hampshire maple syrup pie with a silky maple custard filling and a maple-sweetened meringue topping browned until golden. A classic New England dessert that lets real maple syrup shine.

Elk or venison meat loaf topped with chili sauce uses water-softened bread as a binder for a lean, flavorful wild game loaf. Simple ingredients let the rich game meat shine.

Victorian jewels mini fruitcakes: brandy-soaked candied fruit, raisins, and walnuts baked into tender two-bite cakes. A glossy jelly glaze gives each one its jewel-box shine. Holiday gifting star.

Spiced pickled fruit preserves peaches, pears, or crabapples in a cinnamon and clove spiced vinegar syrup. An old-fashioned Southern-style sweet pickle that shines alongside roast ham or Thanksgiving turkey.

Deep-dish peach pie: a baking dish heaped with juicy peaches and brown sugar under a single flaky, golden top crust. A fruit-forward summer pie that lets the peaches shine.

Lamb cutlets braised in a buttery tomato, onion, and white wine sauce for 90 minutes until fork-tender. A simple, rustic casserole with just six ingredients that lets the lamb flavor shine.

Fresh strawberry pie piles whole ripe strawberries into a baked shell, all bound in a glossy homemade strawberry glaze and topped with whipped cream. A no-fuss summer pie that lets the berries shine.

Firm tomatoes hollowed out and stuffed with a garlicky breadcrumb filling spiked with cayenne, mustard, and Parmesan, then baked until warm and fragrant. A 30-minute side dish or appetizer that makes summer tomatoes shine.

Old-school fried crab cakes bound with just enough breadcrumbs and a single egg yolk so the sweet lump meat actually shines. Worcestershire and dry mustard sharpen the edges, served with lemon wedges and golden crisp.

Easy raw fennel salad: crisp fennel cubes tossed with good olive oil, salt, pepper and a splash of white wine vinegar. A refreshing, anise-scented Italian side that lets the fennel's clean crunch shine. Ready in minutes.

This one isn't for the barby, but I thought I'd pass it on anyway. Don't be deceived by the simplicity of this recipe. It's one of the very best sweet and sour rib recipes I've run across as well as being one of the easiest. The taste of the ribs shines through rather than being overwhelmed as it often is with more complex sweet and sour recipes.

If you don't want to wear a rubber raincoat, surgical gloves and eye goggles, the following is the EASIEST and cleanest way to seed the ever elusive pomegranate.

My copycat version of the top secret famous A1 Steak Sauce.

Sage-rubbed bone-in pork loin roasted on chine bones with a silky cream gravy built from pan drippings, mirepoix, stock, milk, and roux. A professional-quality Sunday roast.

Iowa pork chops are thick-cut bone-in chops marinated in soy, garlic, onion, and ketchup, then grilled standing on the chine bone for even cooking. Heartland steakhouse standard.

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Black Olive Sauce (Postrio's) recipe