Bon Appétit

Keep the final course sweet and simple.

For brunch or a light supper, this open-face sandwich is spicy and satisfying.

A hearty, old-fashioned-style pie. Delicious with vanilla ice cream. A winner in the Bon Appétit Recipes Sweepstakes, a reader poll conducted in honor of our 50th anniversary.

There will be extra tamarind sauce: Drizzle it over vegetables, chicken, or fish; stir it into pilaf; or use it as a marinade.

What to drink: The same type of wine the chicken is cooked in — a dry Riesling from Alsace.

Avgolemono, the tangy Greek sauce of egg yolks and lemon, combines with pasta and veggies for a twist on carbonara.

If you can't find panko, cut the crust off slices of country-style bread, tear the bread into pieces, and grind it coarsely in a processor. Dry the crumbs in a 250°F oven. Do not use store-bought breadcrumbs, which have too fine a texture and give a less crispy result. What to drink: Either a dry rosé from the south of France or a full-bodied, oak-aged Chardonnay would work here.

When garlic is cooked very slowly in olive oil, the result is two delicious ingredients — soft roasted garlic and garlic oil — that give this soup an Italian feel and great flavor.

Baker's sugar, a favorite of pastry chefs, is also called superfine sugar. It measures the same as regular but dissolves more quickly. It's available at some supermarkets. You can also make your own by whizzing granulated sugar in a food processor until powdery. To avoid overbaking the pudding cakes, start checking early for doneness.

St. Patrick's Day in a flash: A zesty glaze makes corned beef from the supermarket deli your own. The perfect go-with? Wedges of cooked, buttered cabbage, of course.

Burricotti are superb whole-milk mozzarella rounds filled with ricotta (see box). Fresh ricotta also works well in this recipe, which would be a great cheese course, or a simple dessert.

This soup features the flavors of India: aromatic nigella seeds, curry powder, curry leaves, and cumin seeds.

Kansas city steaks (also known as New York strip steaks) are sirloin steaks that have the bone attached. If you can't find this cut, ask your butcher to cut the filet side off porterhouse or T-bone steaks, leaving the strip side with the bone for you. What to drink: A Merlot-based red with intense fruit and velvety tannins. Try a Bordeaux or a California blend.

Baker's sugar, a favorite of pastry chefs, is also called superfine sugar. It measures the same as regular but dissolves more quickly. It's available at some supermarkets. You can also make your own by whizzing granulated sugar in a food processor until powdery.

George Hendrix of Carbondale, Colorado, writes: "My family is usually in a hurry to eat, so dinner has to be on the table fast. This soup was one of my mom's standbys when I was growing up. I often make it in big batches and just ladle it out and microwave as needed." This soup is even better the day after it's made, when the flavors have had a chance to mellow.

A meatless yet rich dish that would make a perfect appetizer for St. Patrick's Day dinner.