Once you’ve got the basics down—boiling pasta, baking cookies, scrambling eggs—it’s exciting to take on recipes that push you a little further.
Trying new techniques not only makes cooking more fun, it builds real confidence in the kitchen. This list is full of delicious, slightly more advanced recipes that help you level up your skills without needing a professional setup.
Challenging? A little. Totally doable? Absolutely.
1. Classic Coq au Vin
This French dish teaches you how to braise—slowly cooking chicken in red wine with mushrooms, onions, and herbs until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender.
It’s a rich, flavorful recipe that rewards patience and builds confidence with stovetop-to-oven techniques. You’ll finish feeling like a serious home chef.
2. Homemade Gnocchi With Sage Butter
Making gnocchi from scratch shows you how to handle soft dough and master gentle shaping. It’s all about touch and texture—too much flour, and they’re heavy; too little, and they fall apart.
Tossed in nutty brown butter and crisp sage leaves, the results are melt-in-your-mouth good.
3. Beef Wellington With Puff Pastry
This show-stopper dish challenges you to sear meat, layer flavors, and wrap it all in buttery puff pastry without overcooking anything. Timing and prep are key.
You’ll practice multitasking and gain serious bragging rights when you slice into that perfect, golden crust.
4. French Onion Soup With Broiled Gruyère Crust
Caramelizing onions takes time and attention—but it’s worth every stir. You’ll learn to build deep, sweet-savory flavor slowly, then finish it off with toasted baguette and broiled cheese.
This is comfort food that’s all about layering and patience.
5. Pan-Seared Duck Breast With Cherry Reduction
Scoring the skin, rendering fat, and getting a crispy finish without overcooking takes focus.
Add a sweet-tart cherry sauce and you’re learning to balance bold flavors, too. It’s an elegant dish that sharpens your timing and pan-searing skills.
6. Wild Mushroom Risotto With White Wine
Risotto teaches control and consistency—ladling broth slowly, stirring gently, and knowing just when it’s done. You’ll develop intuition with textures and taste.
Finished with parmesan and earthy mushrooms, it’s creamy, comforting, and totally worth the stir.
7. Chicken Tikka Masala From Scratch
Creating Chicken Tikka Masala from scratch immerses you in a world of spices. This dish is about mastering the art of marinating and slow-cooking to infuse deep flavors. It’s a sensory experience that enhances your understanding of spice blending, resulting in a creamy, aromatic curry that’s both satisfying and skill-building.
8. Handmade Sushi Rolls With Fresh Vegetables
Sushi rolling boosts your knife skills, teaches rice prep precision, and helps you work neatly under pressure. It’s also incredibly fun once you get the hang of it.
Start with veggie rolls to build technique—then move on to more adventurous fillings.
9. Braised Short Ribs With Red Wine And Herbs
Searing meat and then slowly braising it in wine, stock, and aromatics teaches patience and depth of flavor. You’ll learn how to deglaze, reduce, and build a sauce from scratch.
The result? Fork-tender ribs with restaurant-quality richness.
10. Butternut Squash Ravioli With Brown Butter Sauce
You’ll make fresh pasta dough, roll it out, and shape delicate ravioli filled with a smooth squash purée. It’s a lesson in precision and pasta technique.
Top with brown butter and sage, and you’ve got a gourmet meal made completely by hand.
11. Crispy Skin Salmon With Lemon Beurre Blanc
This dish sharpens your searing skills—getting that perfect crisp skin while keeping the fish juicy. Then you’ll make a beurre blanc: a classic French butter sauce that teaches emulsifying and balance.
It’s quick but refined, and once you master it, you’ll use the techniques everywhere.
12. Croissants (Layered Dough Technique)
Making croissants from scratch is all about lamination—rolling and folding dough with layers of butter. It’s time-consuming, but teaches patience, precision, and temperature control.
Pulling a golden, flaky croissant from your oven feels like magic. This one’s a weekend project with a big reward.
13. Vietnamese Pho With Aromatic Broth
Creating a rich, clear broth from scratch teaches flavor layering, long simmering, and straining techniques. Toasting spices and using fresh herbs brings it all to life.
This dish shows the power of subtle ingredients and careful prep.
14. Lemon Meringue Pie With Homemade Curd
Whisking up lemon curd from scratch means learning how to temper eggs and cook gently without scrambling. Then comes meringue—whipped to glossy peaks and torched for drama.
It’s sweet, tart, and full of kitchen science in the best way.
15. Shakshuka With Poached Eggs In Spiced Tomato Sauce
Cooking eggs right in a simmering sauce means learning how to control heat and time things just right.
You’ll also get practice in building flavor with spices like cumin and paprika. It’s bold, hearty, and perfect for brunch or dinner.
16. Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Savory Crêpes)
These crispy, turmeric-colored crêpes filled with beansprouts, mushrooms, and herbs are a fun lesson in batter work and pan technique. Getting the texture just right takes practice.
A hands-on dish that shows how light, crunchy, and flavorful street food can be.
17. Chocolate Soufflé
A soufflé teaches how to fold whipped egg whites into chocolate custard and bake it just enough to rise. It’s delicate, dramatic, and full of suspense.
Crack the top with your spoon and dig into the warm, melty center. Chef-level satisfaction.
18. Perfectly Roasted Whole Chicken With Pan Gravy
Trussing, seasoning, and roasting a whole chicken helps you understand how heat travels through meat. You’ll also learn to make a pan gravy from the drippings—liquid gold.
This is a kitchen staple and a confidence booster all in one.