Pan-seared chicken breasts in a silky blackberry vinegar and cream sauce with shallots, crème de cassis, and fresh blackberries. French-inspired, elegant, and on the table in about an hour.
A dense, fudgy chocolate cake made with dark corn syrup, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and chopped nuts, topped with a glossy chocolate glaze. Rich enough that a thin wedge is all you need.
Pumpkin and broccoli chowder simmers pumpkin puree with sauteed onion, soy sauce, tomato, and a hit of maple syrup, then folds in steamed broccoli and a touch of cream. A fall-into-winter soup.
Grasshopper pie with a chocolate wafer crust, mint-chocolate liqueur custard set with gelatin, and grated chocolate garnish. The retro 1950s dinner-party showstopper.
Raspberry cranberry fruit soup simmered in apple juice, sieved smooth, then enriched with half-and-half and a touch of cinnamon. A Scandinavian-style sweet soup served hot or chilled as a starter or dessert.
Restaurant-style crab cakes with red and green bell peppers, seared golden then oven-finished, served on a velvety cilantro butter sauce. A stunning plated seafood main course.
Firm, creamy finger Jello made with whipping cream for an opaque, sliceable texture. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters for holidays, parties, and kid-friendly snacks.
Graham cracker cake with blanched almonds and folded egg whites, frosted with a homemade apricot whip made from apricot puree, whipped cream, and vanilla. A vintage two-layer cake with a fruity cream frosting.
A European-style carrot cake with walnuts, whipped egg whites for lightness, and a layered filling of cream cheese, jam, and sweetened whipped cream. Elegant and unforgettable.
This showstopper three-layer chocolate buttermilk cake gets its velvety crumb from tangy buttermilk and sour cream, while instant coffee deepens the cocoa flavor. Each layer splits in half for six tender tiers.
Pasta with smoked salmon and golden caviar: thin spaghetti in a silky butter cream sauce, ribboned with smoked salmon and crowned with a spoonful of golden whitefish caviar. Elegant in 30 minutes.
Banana cream pie with a tempered egg custard, sliced bananas folded in, and fresh whipped cream on top. Old-school diner-style cream pie made from scratch with no boxed mix in sight.
Flourless chocolate cake studded with dried mission figs simmered in dark rum. Dense, fudgy, and boozy with deep cocoa flavor. Serve chilled with soft whipped cream for a dinner party dessert that feels effortlessly sophisticated.
Ischler hearts: Austrian sandwich cookies with almond shortbread, apricot jam filling, and a glossy chocolate-rum glaze. Named after the spa town Bad Ischl, favorite of Emperor Franz Joseph.
Mocha chocolate cheesecake blends instant coffee and melted semi-sweet chocolate into a dense, ultra-creamy cream cheese filling on a graham crust. NY-style two-temperature bake.
No-bake toffee crunch pound cake layered with butterscotch whipped cream and crunchy chocolate toffee pieces for an indulgent party dessert that tastes like pure luxury.