Brunch

Pommes Anna Chef Louis Gadby made this dish his own with goose fat and a sprinkling of persillade (chopped parsley and garlic). If you can't find goose or duck fat, use an equal amount of butter instead.

Joy Ackerman of Cincinnati, Ohio, writes: "After cooking for a family of six for years, I've become a pro at streamlining recipes and being organized in the kitchen. My children are now grown and out of the house, but that hasn't changed how I cook or shop. I still make a monthly menu plan, and often find myself cooking my kids' favorite dishes whenever they visit."

These rich cheese puffs resemble gougères, with tangy Stilton taking the place of Gruyère.

Daryl Getman of New York City, NY, writes: "I'm a second-year theater student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, so most days are more about running from class to rehearsal to a performance than they are about cooking. But since I moved out of the dorms last year, cooking has become my favorite distraction. And on the weekends, it's my idea of a break." Daryl likes to use top-notch applewood-smoked bacon for this salad.

These little scallop-shaped cakes are a classic teatime treat in France.

Bev Heinecke of San Anselmo, California, writes: "Many of our favorite family recipes come from my mother-in-law, Hannah, who was a wonderful cook. When my sons were younger I made her chocolate macaroons and pancakes all the time. I don't make them quite as often as I used to, but they're still a hit with my husband."

This lightly sweet brioche is the coffee cake of Alsace (where it is also known by its German name, kugelhopf). It can be baked in an eight- or nine-cup crown-shaped kouglof (or kugelhopf) mold, a fluted ring mold, or a tube or Bundt pan. While the cake is best on the same day it is baked, leftovers are delicious toasted.

Rose water lends a subtle floral flavor to the scones; it can be found at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and Middle Eastern markets.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again—the grill was the original toaster. And there's nothing like a quick sizzle on the grill to transform ordinary pound cake into a singular, even extraordinary dessert. Especially when paired with a pineapple "salsa" and tequila-scented whipped cream.

Barbecue without beer is, well, too depressing to contemplate, and I'm not just talking about to drink. Beer's malty sweetness and pleasantly bitter edge of hops make for an interesting marinade. These Calgary Hot Wings were inspired by the Big Rock Brewery, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I taught a memorable cooking class at Big Rock—memorable not only for the impressive assortment of interesting beers on tap but also for the fact that it snowed 3 inches during my outdoor class, a first for this Miami-based grill guy.

Cachaça, a spirit made from sugarcane, gives these drinks their distinctive flavor. In Brazil it is traditional to make caipirinhas one or two at a time, as we do here. For ease of entertaining, however, you can simply combine all the ingredients in a pitcher.