Recipes with cream

Refined split pea soup with fresh sorrel, ham hock, lemon, and cream, puréed silky smooth and strained. Serve it piping hot in winter or well chilled as an elegant summer starter.

Rich flourless chocolate cake laced with Grand Marnier orange liqueur, baked low and slow until dense, fudgy, and utterly silky. Just chocolate, butter, eggs, and a splash of citrus elegance. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with billowy whipped cream.

Pina colada layer cake with a rum-soaked chiffon base, crushed pineapple filling, coconut buttercream frosting, and toasted coconut. The cocktail, in cake form.

Angel food cake layered with rum-soaked strawberries and white chocolate whipped cream, drizzled with orange juice. A no-bake showpiece that comes together in 30 minutes flat.

No-bake chocolate cream cheese pie with instant pudding. Add coffee powder for mocha. Topped with pecans and whipped cream, ready in minutes.

Sweet noodle kugel layered with cottage cheese, sour cream, raisins, and vanilla, then rested overnight and baked into a golden cinnamon-sugar-topped Jewish holiday classic.

Rich, glossy chocolate mint sauce made in the microwave in just 15 minutes. Drizzle over ice cream, brownies, or cake for a cool minty finish.

Quick sour cream muffins with a warm nutmeg note, baked golden in just 15 minutes. Uses light sour cream and works with sugar or non-nutritive sweetener for a diabetic-friendly option. Makes 12.

Marshmallow fruit salad with cherries, mandarin oranges, pineapple, bananas, and whipped cream in a cooked custard dressing. Overnight soak for deep flavor.

Vegetarian black bean burrito bake with smoky chipotle sour cream, sweet corn, salsa, and melted Monterey Jack. Rolled in whole wheat tortillas and baked until bubbly.

Pureed red lentil soup with bacon and leek, finished with cream and served with poached chicken liver dumplings. A refined European soup with old-world elegance.

Mini yeast cakes soaked in rum syrup and topped with sweetened whipped cream and sliced almonds for an elegant French dessert.

European mocha fudge cake with a dense cocoa-pecan base and creamy coffee whipped cream filling. A flourless-style chocolate cake that's rich, fudgy, and made without leavening.

Velvety artichoke soup with roasted hazelnuts, hazelnut oil, and a splash of sherry. Naturally thickened with rice flour, making it a gluten-free elegant starter.

Ham Dijon pasta with smoked ham, broccoli, and mushrooms in a rich Dijon mustard cream sauce. A one-skillet dinner ready in 30 minutes over ribbon pasta.

So good chocolate toffee cooks sugar, corn syrup, and cream to soft-ball stage in three additions, then folds in melted unsweetened chocolate for a chewy, fudge-toffee hybrid candy. 64 small squares per batch.

Boneless buffalo wings pan-fried with a cornmeal crust, tossed in hot sauce and served with homemade spicy blue cheese dip. A lighter Super Bowl party favorite skillet version using chicken tenders.

Banana split squares with Oreo crust, layered vanilla and strawberry ice cream, bananas, and homemade fudge sauce. No-bake make-ahead frozen dessert for a crowd.

This was the sourest sourdough I'd ever eaten but it was to die for.

Slow-roasted venison shoulder braised in beer, sour cream, and cream of mushroom soup with onions and allspice. A hunter's dinner with forgiving creamy gravy.

Grilled salmon soft tacos with cabbage slaw, citrus salsa, and cilantro-serrano crema. A chile-rubbed 20-minute summer grill dinner loaded with fresh acid, creamy heat, and crunchy texture.

Creamy acorn squash soup with warm spices (mace, ginger, cinnamon), pureed smooth with chicken broth, then simmered with ditalini pasta and topped with sweetened sour cream.

Chilled avocado soup blends ripe avocados with a lime-and-serrano-spiked stock into a silky, no-cream base, topped with cilantro cream and crisp julienned radishes. A cool, elegant Mexican-inspired starter.

Low-fat marbled pumpkin cheesecake swirls spiced pumpkin into a creamy vanilla filling over a gingersnap crust. Pureed cottage cheese keeps it light while a water bath gives a silky, crack-free top.

Strawberry shortcake with Bisquick drop biscuits, 2-day macerated strawberries, French vanilla ice cream, and fresh whipped cream. The 2-day strawberry marinade is what makes this one special.

Chicken pumpkin chili simmers cubed chicken breast with pumpkin, beer, pinto beans, and a touch of cocoa for surprising depth. A 45-minute fall chili that rewards a single quiet pot.

Pressure cooker beef pot roast turns a brisket fall-apart tender in about an hour, with potatoes, carrots, and a tangy sour cream and horseradish gravy. Sunday-roast comfort on a weeknight timeline.

Beef tenderloin with morels and tarragon-Marsala sauce pan-sears filets and finishes them in a cream sauce built on earthy morels, sweet Marsala, and anise-tinged tarragon. Restaurant-plate dinner without the prix fixe.

Fig ice cream made from fresh figs cooked into a puree and folded into a rich egg custard base with heavy cream, vanilla, and a splash of Cognac. A unique, honey-sweet frozen dessert.

Decadent chocolate mint melt-aways: tender piped mint shortbread topped with white chocolate mint ganache and dipped in bittersweet chocolate. Three layers of cool mint and rich chocolate in one cookie.

Malai kofta are golden-fried potato and paneer-style balls stuffed with cashews and raisins, simmered in a cashew-cream sauce warmed with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne. A North Indian restaurant classic.

Cold poached salmon fillets in white wine, served chilled with a Dijon mustard, lime, and honey sour cream sauce. An elegant make-ahead main course for summer entertaining.

A spicy but scrumptious casserole made with green chili peppers, old cheddar cheese and succulent ground beef.

Black currant tea brownies layer cassis-infused fudge squares with a glossy berry preserve and a silky black currant tea ganache. A boozy, perfumed showstopper.

German-style cabbage fruit salad with shredded cabbage, diced apple, and raisins in a tangy sour cream dressing with pineapple juice. A crunchy no-cook side dish served chilled.

Black-eyed pea cakes with smoky adobo cream and melty Monterey Jack. An 18-minute vegetarian main that fries up crisp on the outside with a tender, cumin-spiced center.

California ricotta cake: devil's food cake layers brushed with orange liqueur, filled and frosted with sweet ricotta whipped with cream, orange zest, almonds, and chocolate chips.

Hamburg-style fish salad: poached fish cubes tossed with hard-cooked egg, pickles, and capers in a lemony mustard-mayo sauce. Chilled German salad with beet and egg garnish.

Light, airy cheesecake made with pressed cottage cheese and whipped cream in spiced rusk crust, topped with strawberry glaze studded with whole berries.

Grilled whole trout stuffed with cornbread, mushrooms, olives, and sour cream dressing, seasoned with dill and lemon. Cooked in a fish basket over open flame.

Quick, easy and delicious. This borscht takes very little time to make. All done in the microwave.

Three-meat meatloaf with ground pork, lamb, and veal bound with sour cream, oats, and a touch of cayenne. Rich, moist, and more flavorful than all-beef.

Fruit cocktail cake with a moist sour cream batter spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, studded with canned fruit cocktail. The retro pantry-staple cake from a 1960s Sunday-supper card.

Neapolitan cheesecake with three layers: strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate on a chocolate crumb crust. A showstopping ice-cream-inspired dessert in cheesecake form.

No-bake lemon-ginger cheesecake with a gingersnap and vanilla wafer crust, gelatin-set cream cheese filling, and lemon curd swirl. Bright citrus and warm ginger in every slice.

Peanut butter cup cheesecake on a chocolate cookie-peanut crust, loaded with chopped peanut butter cups and finished with a vanilla sour cream topping. Make-ahead friendly.

Bacon and egg carbonara with raw egg yolk stirred into hot pasta at the table, sour cream warmed in the bowl, crispy bacon, chives, and Parmesan. A rich, interactive dinner.

Cranberry cheesecake on a buttery walnut-graham crust, with a layer of cranberry sauce hidden beneath a creamy sour cream filling. A festive, crack-free holiday cheesecake topped with sugared cranberries.