Brunch

The buttermilk in our recipe makes these airy rolls especially tender.

Omelettes Bauveuses aux Lardons
This omelet is meant to be runny (baveuse) in the middle.

Tracy Jones Midland, Texas, writes: "I wanted to share a Christmas breakfast recipe given to my mother, Cherry Jones, by Ann Westerman, a lifelong friend. My family quickly adopted the tradition of preparing this dish on Christmas Eve, then baking it on Christmas morning while opening our presents." The thick slices of garlicky bread in this dish are known as Texas toast.

English farmhouse-style white Cheddars such as Montgomery, Keen's, and Fiscalini were delicious in this pie. We also liked Grafton Cheddar, from Vermont.

Corn bread sweetened with sugar must be a Yankee invention, because corn bread in the South is always a savory staple. We like to keep it simple, but don't stint on the fat, whether butter or bacon fat (or oil, if you must). Corn bread, corn muffins, and corn sticks should all be cooked to a dark shade of golden brown and turned out while hot, the steam rising fragrant with the aromas of corn and bacon, as you break into them.

Pearl-like sushi rice cooks up slightly moist and sticky, so it forms a cake easily. Chilling the cakes before browning helps them hold their shape.

These delicious pancakes are light and moist; the texture is a cross between a crepe and a pancake. Avoid overmixing the batter (it's okay if there are lumps) to ensure that the pancakes will be airy.

The longer you wait to use the proto-dough, the tangier the bread will be.

Toni Cascio of Owings Mills, Maryland, writes: "Cooking and traveling are two of my greatest pleasures. I went to Ireland several years ago and had such marvelous scones that I just had to re-create them at home." This is a great scone recipe, and it works even without the butterscotch chips. One cup of dried berries, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, or dried cherries can be substituted, if you like.