392 cornstarch recipes

Upside-down grape and mascarpone cheesecake: red seedless grapes in a glossy sweet-tart sauce under a silky mascarpone filling, inverted to reveal the jewel-like fruit on top.

Mango brulee with a custard made from double cream, fromage frais, and egg yolks topped with caramelized demerara sugar. A lighter take on classic creme brulee.

Gelo di Mellone, a traditional Sicilian watermelon pudding thickened with cornstarch, studded with pistachios, chocolate, and candied citron, finished with cinnamon.

Light cream of mushroom soup made with fresh mushrooms, skim milk, chicken bouillon, and cornstarch. A low-fat homemade alternative to canned cream of mushroom soup.

Fresh pear salad with halved pears on lettuce, filled with cottage cheese and topped with a chilled pear-orange fruit dressing thickened with cornstarch. A vintage composed fruit salad.

Warm red-skinned potatoes tossed in a sweet-sour bacon vinaigrette that's the star of every church potluck and German family reunion from Cincinnati to Milwaukee.

Authentic Swiss fondue from Neuchatel with Emmentaler, Gruyere, dry white wine, and kirsch. Per-person measurements so you can scale to any gathering. Served with crusty bread cubes.

Lobster tail pasta in a creamy lemon and sherry sauce with sauteed mushrooms. A rich, elegant dish that comes together in under 30 minutes.

Delicate, paper-thin cookies infused with toasted saffron, ground almonds, and a whisper of lemon. Sugar-sprinkled and crisp at the edges, this recipe yields 100 elegant bites.

A whole roast chicken stuffed with cherries, rubbed with paprika and cinnamon, then slow-roasted in white wine until the juices run sweet and savory. Served over spiral noodles with a cherry-wine pan sauce.

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.

A glossy cherry rum sauce made with dark sweet cherries, rum extract, and a squeeze of lemon. Ready in 20 minutes, it's the finishing touch for ice cream, cheesecake, or crepes.

Oven-roasted spareribs glazed with a sweet soy and brown sugar sauce. Ribs steam tender under a covered roaster, then get basted with a sticky, caramelized glaze.

Downeast blueberry bread pudding bakes wild Maine blueberries with stale white bread cubes and evaporated skim milk for a low-fat, low-sugar New England dessert.

Mom's shepherd's pie: leftover lamb cubed and simmered with onion, red pepper, rosemary, and parsley under a mashed potato crust. The classic Sunday-roast reinvention.

Eggnog chiffon pie, an airy brandy-spiked custard set with gelatin and lightened with whipped egg whites, dusted with fresh nutmeg in a flaky homemade crust. A Christmas dessert worth the fuss.