Make Ahead

No cooking required for this dessert that needs to be assembled at least 24 hours—and up to three days—in advance.

This is a variation on the classic New Orleans dessert bananas Foster, created by chef Paul Blange at Brennan's Restaurant. To save time, you can use store-bought premium vanilla or butter pecan ice cream instead of homemade. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 5 hr (includes making ice cream)

A favorite test-kitchen Muscat wine is Bonny Doon's Muscat Vin de Glacière from California.

Check out your local farmers' market for the best selection of heirloom tomatoes and use them within a few days.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min

Hoisin sauce is sold at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets.

This distinctive fat-free drink is a great change of pace from coffee or tea.

Nigella Lawson If we're talking about family favorites, I couldn't leave liptauer out. It was the deli counter delicacy of my childhood and another eating item I'd all but forgotten about. But something made me remember it, and from taste-memory and some notes from the kitchen book inherited by my friend Olivia from her mother, I tried my hand at making it myself. I can confidently and categorically state that it's not some sentimental yearning that makes me want to see its comeback. You don't need to go in for the retro-molding here, just mix the ingredients and plonk them in a bowl if you like; but whatever, this glorious cream cheese, caper, caraway seed, and paprika combination, spread over sour black bread or — if you don't have the genetic taste for it — over slices of any dark or brown bread that you can get from the supermarket, is rhapsodically unbeatable.

Start the gravlax at least two days in advance (the sauce can also be prepared ahead of time, leaving just quick assembly on the day of the party). What to drink: Champagne (or sparkling wine) is a classic aperitif, and versatile enough to pair nicely with the salmon's slightly sweet mustard sauce as well as with the rich Foie Gras and Cream Eggs .

This recipe is an accompaniment for Flourless Chocolate-Orange Almond Cake .

When I was growing up in Louisiana, nothing made my mouth water like the smell of onion, bell pepper, and celery cooking in my mom's dark Cajun roux. For maximum flavor, use the whole chicken and leave any fat attached. Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

The combination of salty, sweet, crunchy, and smooth gives these confections a special place in my heart. That, added to the fact that they made an appearance at every bridge and mahjongg game my mother ever hosted, elevates their status to serious nostalgia food. You can find cans of Chinese chow-mein noodles in the Asian food section of the supermarket. The ones you want are cooked and ready to eat like crackers.

At Inverlochy Castle, this dish is served with spinach and sautéed mushrooms, and tender asparagus tips are scattered over the fillets as a final garnish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

A mug of hot chocolate or a glass of milk would complement these updated, sophisticated chocolate chip cookies.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.