American

A delectable new take on the old-fashioned summer shortcake.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A show-stopper centerpiece cake for February fourteenth. White chocolate provides a rich, buttery texture. To serve, remove the chocolate lid and break it into pieces to nibble along with the cake.

A sophisticated dish from chef Roy Breiman of The Restaurant at Meadowood in the Napa Valley. If you can't find duck breasts in your area, purchase two whole ducks, and ask the butcher to remove the breasts for you. Freeze the leg-thigh portions for another use.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A crowd-pleasing standard gets a makeover with ground turkey instead of beef; sautéed vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes add flavor. Round out the meat loaf with the mashed potatoes, some green beans and dinner rolls. Pour a dry white or light red wine.

In doubling or tripling this recipe, you can put all the ingredients for the dressing into a blender (cutting the amount of garlic in half) for a quick whirl. Store the dressing in a screw-cap jar until the salad is ready to be tossed. The flavor is the same, but the texture of the dressing is creamy and looks less attractive on the romaine.

Lemon brightens the sweet tang of buttermilk in this dairy-state specialty.

Like steamed Boston brown bread, this baked version is quickly mixed together and makes a dense, fragrant loaf. Rye bread flour is sold at natural foods stores, specialty food stores and some supermarkets.

A stick-to-the-ribs-not-the-waistline chili. Great served with all the usual toppings: chopped red or green onions, chopped cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese (low-fat, of course) and nonfat yogurt.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This flavorful bread uses just a tad of canola oil instead of lots of butter.

The almond-scented blueberry filling is sprinkled with a pecan topping.

These superb tacos are from chef Alex Castro at the Old Mexico Grill in Santa Fe.

The cornmeal biscuit topping adds some crunch to the winning combination of fresh strawberries and rhubarb.