Bon Appétit

This hearty ham and egg dish includes pipérade, a Basque mixture of sautéed tomatoes and bell peppers, which is generally used as a sauce for meats.

Russian cheesecakes, like this one served at The Kaleenka in Seattle, are lighter and drier than most American versions. The texture comes from a dry-curd cheese (known here a hoop cheese) common to Russian cooking.

While the birth of the Brandy Alexander cocktail may be obscured in the history of mixology, the creation of the like-named pie can be traced to right around December 1933, when Prohibition was repealed. Americans could once again enjoy a legal drink. That apparently inspired some creative cooks to flavor recipes once again with wines and liqueurs, and the forerunner of this pie was born. We've replaced the traditional graham cracker crust with one made of chocolate wafer cookies, and we've added white chocolate to the rich brandy and crème de cacao filling.

Refreshing in looks and taste, these light fruit sorbets served in a colorful raspberry sauce are perfect after a filling seder meal. There will be leftovers of each sorbet to enjoy later.

Zucchini and dill add a fresh twist to the classic, which is a winner served with other summer classics, like sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers and barbecued chicken.

Garnish with grapefruit, orange and lime segments if you like.

At The Bistro of the beautiful Hotel Maison de Ville in New Orleans, chef Dominique Macquet uses crawfish in this Creole starter. We've substituted the more readily available shrimp. Chef Macquet serves garlic toasts alongside.

Bente Birkedal-Hansen of Bethesda, Maryland, says that Azalea Restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, does a great job with catfish, serving the whole fish with an Asian-style black bean sauce. It would make an impressive main course at a dinner party. If whole catfish are difficult to get at your local supermarket, order them from the fishmonger and have the fish cleaned.

The hearty sauce is also great over couscous.

A rich-tasting low-fat chowder with lots of spicy curry flavor.

Fresh mint and lemon peel are combined with feta and chevre in this topping. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Light cookies are filled with dessert-wine ice cream and fruit. The recipe makes about six cookies, so there's an allowance for breakage or extras for nibbling.