Recipes with cornstarch

Chinese-style brown gravy for egg foo yung made with meat stock, soy sauce, and cornstarch. A simple three-ingredient sauce ready in minutes.

Low-calorie berry bars made with a tangy buttermilk batter topped with fresh or frozen blueberries and raspberries, finished with sugar and lemon zest. No butter needed. Just 48 calories per bar.

Garlic steak stir-fry with round steak or venison marinated in soy, sherry, and ginger, then wok-seared with green peppers and water chestnuts. Served over rice.

Spicy Szechuan chicken stir fry with snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and dried red chiles. A 30-minute weeknight dinner with bold heat and clean veggies.

Peter's rum pie layers silky cooked rum custard into a graham cracker crust, finished with whipped cream and grated bittersweet chocolate. A retro icebox dessert with deep dairy richness and a warm spirit kick.

Savoy cabbage wedges steamed in the microwave and topped with a Swiss cheese sauce seasoned with paprika, garlic salt, and dill. A low-calorie vegetable side dish.

Simple chili is a no-bean Texas-style ground beef chili built on chili powder, cumin and a hit of hot sauce. Browned, drained and simmered until thick. The kind that feeds a crowd and tastes better the next day.

Stir-fried flank steak with a soy-sherry gravy over crunchy scalded bean sprouts and onion, seasoned with homemade Szechuan pepper salt. A textural Chinese beef dish.

Oven-baked sweet and sour spareribs glazed with a homemade sauce of brown sugar, crushed pineapple, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and dry mustard. Fall-off-the-bone pork ribs with a thick, sticky glaze.

Mocha icebox cake layers ladyfingers with a silky coffee custard filling, then chills overnight into a sliceable, cake-like dessert. Topped with sweetened whipped cream for an old-fashioned coffee lover's treat.

Glazed sweet potato casserole with brown sugar, honey, and pineapple juice glaze, scented with cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest. Make-ahead Thanksgiving side that saves oven space.

Leftover turkey makes this Asian-style stir-fry that is full of flavor and quick, easy to make.

Strawberry cheesecake pie layers a tangy lemon-cream cheese filling in a flaky crust, piled with fresh strawberries and topped with a glossy cooked strawberry glaze. Part cheesecake, part strawberry pie, all chilled.

Fresh pear and apple pie with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lime juice in a double-crust pastry. A fall fruit pie that blends the soft sweetness of pears with tart, firm apples.

Chinese pepper steak stir-fry with thinly sliced round steak, green bell peppers, tomatoes, and bean sprouts in a savory soy sauce. Ready in 30 minutes and served over rice.

Classic French roast duck a l'orange with a caramelized orange sauce, Grand Marnier, and brown sauce reduction. Crisp skin, glossy bittersweet glaze.