Goat Cheese

Purchased Boboli crusts make these pizzas a snap to prepare. Offer prosciutto and melon as another appetizer.

Steamed artichokes would be a great beginning. Accompany the delicate and sophisticated goat cheese souffl with a mixed green salad, whole wheat baguette and some sliced tomatoes. Wrap up chocolate-dipped strawberries and shortbread cookies. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Making this at least a day ahead will allow the flavors to blend.

A great combination of flavors that makes an elegant first course--for brunch or for dinner. The timbales need to be chilled overnight, so begin preparing this dish a day before serving.

(SALADE DE LEGUMES AU FROMAGE DE CHEVRE) This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Though this recipe makes more than enough hors d'oeuvres, they are small and disappear in a New York minute!

To ensure you get moist, beautiful-looking apricots, avoid those sold in boxes and bags that you can’t see through. If you buy Turkish apricots, keep in mind that they’re usually sold pitted but whole and, unlike most California apricots, will need to be halved horizontally.

This dish is best eaten right away. You can make all the parts — except for the pasta — way ahead of time and just throw it together at the last minute. (The slow-roasted tomatoes are also great in other roles — as part of an antipasto in the summertime, as an omelet filling, or as a topping on grilled bread.)

Mashed potatoes are always a crowd-pleaser at holiday meals. But if you want to mix things up a bit this year, try one of our delicious variations, below.

To set a festive mood, serve these with mimosas made with icy-cold Prosecco and freshly squeezed tangerine juice.

Goat cheese and truffle oil add rich flavors to the humble sweet potato.

In France, tartines are slices of bread topped with butter and sometimes cheese, honey, or other spreads. Here that simple idea is turned into a sophisticated appetizer when the bread is brushed with chive oil and topped with smoked salmon and goat cheese.

"On Saturday mornings I like to go to the farmers' market near my house and buy whatever produce is at its peak," writes Justin Kulongowski of Portland, Maine. "One weekend I came home with all the ingredients to make this great salad."

These are nice as part of a barbecue buffet.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.