Sauce

In the waste-not mentality of Italian cucina povera, panfried patties made with eggs and bread crumbs are a great use for leftover eggplant parmigiana ingredients. In fact, the patties are so incredibly delicious that we made them the crisp showstoppers in this fun reconstruction.

Miraglia Eriquez's Aunt Dottie loved this indulgent appetizer, which was served at her favorite Italian-American restaurants. A talented, ambitious home cook, Dottie tinkered in her kitchen until she came up with her own version. We're glad she did. The lemon and capers in the anchovy-butter sauce cut through the richness of soft, stretchy mozzarella in a pocket of crisp fried bread.

This delicacy only tastes decadent—the cake is so low in fat, you can afford to splurge by adding coconut and a luxurious sauce.

This nontraditional spin-off of an old-fashioned favorite makes a fun dinner-party appetizer plate or main course for more intimate gatherings.

Soufflés are usually associated with extravagant meals, but they're cheaper to make than you may think. A soufflé is made primarily of eggs, a very budget-friendly ingredient.

Steamed raisin pudding, or spotted dick, as it's also called, is a traditional English dessert cake that is steamed instead of baked. It can be portioned into 8 ramekins or steamed in a large bowl and turned out as a whole cake. If you're using the ramekins, rather than spooning in the batter, you may want to transfer it to a large pastry bag and pipe it in—this will keep things neat and produce evenly proportioned cakes.

When adding your hot liquids to the bowl while whisking, it helps to stabilize your bowl by rolling a kitchen towel up into a log, wrapping it into a coil as wide as the bowl's base, then setting the bowl onto it to nest it in place. This recipe makes twice as much pastry cream as is needed for the Pavlovas . Leftover cream can be used to make èclairs, cream puffs, fruit tarts, or breakfast pastries.

Whatever else you set out, great smoked salmon will always draw a crowd. And like any good leading actor, it works well with all of the supporting players, from horseradish cream to egg salad.

Applesauce goes global in a chutney spiced with ginger and red-pepper flakes. Tart Granny Smiths and sweet Galas are cut into chunks, giving this topping a firm bite. Fabulous over potato latkes, it’s also delicious with zucchini latkes .

Nuoc Cham Chay Luke Nguyen: This is the vegetarian equivalent of dipping fish sauce. This sauce is quick and easy to make, and if you want to liven it up, add some pickled vegetables and chile.

The reduction can stand in for some of the beef stock in French onion soup, pot roast, and beef stew, where it will add flavor and richness.

Cranberries add sparkle to the meal.

This recipe is perfect for a family reunion or any large summer gathering. If your party is being held at a park, be sure to bring charcoal, a chimney starter, oil for the grill grate, and a sturdy grill brush. These chicken breasts cook quickly, but let the coals burn down to medium-hot to cut down on pesky flare-ups.

Armagnac adds a festive and slightly boozy flavor.

The traditional latke accompaniment is amped up with fragrant rosemary and nutty brown butter.