Bon Appétit

You will need to bake the Buttermilk Corn Bread and allow it to cool before you begin preparing this stuffing.

This simple white cake has a lemon curd filling and glaze. Big cakes like this are typical special-occasion desserts in the South.

This treat is topped with slices of bright oranges. The slices must be cooked very slowly, or the pulp will fall away. Begin preparing the cheesecake one day before you plan to serve it.

Ginger's peppery flavor is the perfect foil for white chocolate. Here, the ginger is used in several forms, each contributing its own nuance: Crystallized ginger provides texture and a warm bite to the filling, gingersnaps are used for the crust, and ground ginger enhances both crust and filling. Begin making this dessert a day ahead.

From Goldie's by the Bridge, North Tarrytown, New York.

Intense chocolate flavor accented with orange highlights this lovely layer cake.

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A fast version of an old favorite. Wine-bottle gift bags make perfect packaging.

You can also "grill" the steak in a ridged heavy-duty skillet set on the stove top.

With the galette, offer radicchio tossed with black olives, toasted walnuts and a Sherry vinaigrette. Spoon some stewed rhubarb over vanilla ice cream to top off the meal.

Complete the menu with roasted potatoes, steamed spinach and butterscotch brownies.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. For a side dish, serve couscous mixed with sautéed red bell pepper, carrots and dill. Buy a strawberry tart to finish.

For a more substantial salad, add one cup chopped cooked chicken breast or one cup drained flaked tuna.

Michael McLaughlin, cookbook author, says, "Green beans amandine used to be the festive vegetable of choice at any number of my family's holiday celebrations. Over the years, a few of us have improvised here and there, resulting in this easy side dish, a real family heirloom. For a change of pace, orange peel can replace the lemon."

Poussin à la Confiture d'Oignons Cornish game hens are a delicious and more readily available substitute for the guinea hens that the chef at Restaurant Hiély-Lucullus uses to prepare this. (Have the butcher quarter the hens and remove their backbones.) When in season, peaches are caramelized and served with this dish at the restaurant.