959 tender recipes

Tender whitefish fillets baked in white wine and Dijon mustard, topped with earthy fiddlehead ferns and finished with a swirl of butter. Spring on a plate in just 25 minutes.

Fresh Bartlett pears cored, stuffed with minced Chinese dates and orange honey, then gently steamed until tender. A traditional Chinese dessert with just three ingredients that's elegant and naturally light.

Veal stew browned on the stovetop then finished in the microwave with beef bouillon, mushrooms, tomato, and onion in a flour-thickened sauce. Fork-tender veal in under 40 minutes.

Teriyaki-glazed ribs pressure-cooked tender then grilled with a sticky brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, and hoisin marinade. Fall-off-the-bone ribs in a fraction of the time.

Italian-style spinach steamed with no added water, then tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. A 5-minute side dish that keeps the spinach bright green and tender.

Oven Swiss steak braised in bacon drippings with mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, and tarragon, finished with a cream-thickened pan sauce. A tender, old-fashioned beef braise with a luxurious twist.

French braised red cabbage with toasted caraway seeds, currants, red wine, and vinegar. A vegetarian side dish baked until sweet, tangy, and meltingly tender. Served warm or at room temperature.

Microwave roasted chestnuts ready in under three minutes. Score an X on the flat side, zap on high, and peel while still warm for sweet, tender chestnuts without an oven.

Westphalian leg of lamb roasted in a buttermilk and vegetable sauce inside an oven bag. A German roasting method that keeps the meat incredibly tender with a tangy pan gravy.

Smoked carnitas: pork shoulder smoked low for three hours, then braised with onions, chilies, cumin, and garlic until the meat pulls apart. BBQ-meets-Mexican with crispy-edged tender bites.

Veal olives: old-fashioned stuffed veal rolls with buttered bread crumb filling, onion, and clove, tied and pan-braised until tender. A vintage recipe garnished with hard-boiled egg slices.

Smoke roasted top round of bison: bison marinated in dark beer, soy, and balsamic for 72 hours, then slow-smoked over hardwood for a tender, richly flavored wild-game roast.

Slow-cooker rabbit stew braised low and slow with tomatoes, onion, rosemary, and dry white wine. Italian-style stewed rabbit that turns rich and fork-tender after 8 hours unattended.

French-style braised duck with olives, bacon, red wine, and Dijon mustard. A rustic country braise where the duck simmers low and slow until fork-tender, served over wild rice.

Kolachkes are Polish-American cream cheese cookies: a tender butter-and-cream-cheese dough wrapped around fruit jam, walnut, or sweet cheese filling. Rolled in powdered sugar instead of flour.

Sesame soy spareribs simmered in a garlic-ginger soy braise, then baked and broiled until glossy and caramelized. Tender pork ribs with toasted sesame and a sweet-savory Asian glaze.