Recipes with cornstarch

Rich, dense classic cheesecake with two pounds of cream cheese, sour cream, and butter, baked low and slow then cooled in the oven for a crack-free top. Crustless, ready for any topping.

A show-stopping 4-layer banana cake with stiff meringue folded into the batter, filled with vanilla custard, and frosted with a silky cooked flour-butter frosting laced with almond extract. This is banana cake at its most dramatic.

Kung Pao-style chicken stir fry with deep-fried peanuts, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sherry, and white vinegar. Egg-and-cornstarch coated chicken cubes get a velvety, glossy finish.

Jim's sweet-sour yams is a microwave side dish with canned yams, pineapple chunks, fresh kiwi, and raisins simmered in a glossy brown sugar glaze. Holiday table flavor without tying up the oven.

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.

Home-style Chinese chicken deboned by hand, velveted in egg and cornstarch, twice-fried to a crackling crust, and tossed in a tangy vinegar glaze. Served over wilted garlic spinach restaurant-style.

Home-style Chinese chicken deboned by hand, velveted in egg and cornstarch, twice-fried to a crackling crust, and tossed in a tangy vinegar glaze. Served over wilted garlic spinach restaurant-style.

Chicken breasts rolled around tender fiddlehead ferns, breaded and browned, then baked in a glossy sherry-mushroom sauce with bacon and tomatoes. A unique Canadian-inspired spring dinner that celebrates foraged greens.

Lighter noodle casserole with cottage cheese, cheddar, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice baked until bubbly. A creamy, tangy baked pasta using non-fat milk powder instead of heavy cream.

Ground beef, silky egg pancake strips, and green beans tossed in a soy-sherry-ginger sauce over hot rice. A budget-friendly weeknight stir-fry that feeds four without fuss.

Buttery shortbread-style nut fingers with toasted walnuts and cornstarch for a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Rolled into ropes, baked golden, and dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Old-fashioned lemon custard pie made on the stovetop with a double boiler. Rich egg yolk filling with fresh lemon juice and zest, poured into a baked shell. Simple, tangy, and no meringue fuss.

Fiery pork and bamboo shoots over crispy rice noodles: stir-fried slivered pork with winter bamboo, Thai chili paste, and ginger served over a cloud of deep-fried puffy rice stick noodles.

Fiery pork and bamboo shoots over crispy rice noodles: stir-fried slivered pork with winter bamboo, Thai chili paste, and ginger served over a cloud of deep-fried puffy rice stick noodles.

Spicy firecracker chicken wings simmered in a ginger-garlic stir-fry glaze with crushed red pepper and sherry. A sticky, glossy sauce coats every wing for bold Asian-inspired heat.

Filet mignon seared rare, deglazed with port wine, and baked under a creamy mushroom sauce with creme fraiche and beef broth. An elegant French-style steak served with potato noisettes.