Beverages

A purchased cake mix (spiked with Marsala for added zip) makes this elegant dessert a snap to prepare. For extra ease, you can assemble it the day before serving.

Parisians love chocolate, and cooks in Paris might make this with Valrhona, one of the best French brands. Begin preparing the dessert a day ahead.

As Italian restaurants continue to grow in popularity, so does tiramisù. We updated this dessert made of triple cream cheese from Italy (mascarpone), ladyfingers, espresso and cocoa powder by adding nuts and tangerine juice and serving it frozen.

Chef Kenny, of the Crookedwood House, in Mullingar, Ireland, prepares this entrée in the winter with fresh cranberries. We call for canned cranberry sauce, which is available year-round. The chef likes sautéed currants as a garnish, and braised cabbage and baked potatoes as side dishes.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

From Charleston Grill, Charleston, South Carolina.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These sweets are enjoyed with coffee or tea at Bewley's on Grafton Street, a Dublin institution that has long been part of the city's folklore and culture.

Grand Marnier gives an extra kick to the frozen orange mousse, and pistachios make the crust crunchy. Start preparing this at least a day before you plan to serve it.

Miss Toklas frightens her readers when she says this dish takes four days to prepare. Actually, the labor involved is insignificant.

Romesco sauce, a piquant mixture of chilies, nuts, and tomatoes, is a typical seasoning for seafood in the Catalan province of Tarragona. Although fresh coriander is not an ingredient found in the traditional Spanish pantry, its flavor lends a nice touch to this dish.

There's enough espresso cream to top 6 cakes for a quick, elegant dessert. The leftover 6 are great to keep for snacks.

Sicily, Italy In Sicily, gelato usually doesn't contain any cream or eggs. The coffee and chocolate-almond flavors here are true to tradition; the zabaglione is enriched with eggs.