Egg

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Perfect for a meatless brunch or casual supper.

Huevos Tirados One of Gran Café de la Parroquia's specialties is this unique omelet, made with black beans and served inside out. Make the omelets one at a time and serve them immediately (they will dry out and lose their tenderness if you try to keep them warm in the oven). If you don't have time to prepare dried beans, canned will do just fine (see the cooks' notes for black beans, this page). Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr (includes cooking dried beans)

The more succulent the berries, the better. The cake layers absorb the juices, which is why this cake must be assembled at least 8 hours before serving.

Quiche made its way from France to our shores in the sixties, but it was in the seventies that its popularity soared.

Let the bread sit at room temperature for several hours, or overnight, until dry.

(Apricot Almond Cake) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Pass around a platter of these curried eggs to enjoy before &#151 or with � the epi:recipeLink="101977"BLTs</epi:recipeLink>.

Turn-of-the-century cooks thought the original of this dense, chocolaty cake was so wickedly rich and sinfully delicious that it just had to be bad. So they named it after the devil himself. The first recipe for it appeared in 1905, and it's been around ever since. We've freshened up the devil with a little lift of mint.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Beet salad is delicious alongside. Rewarm leftovers for lunch the next day.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Don't marinate the fish more than 15 minutes, or it will be cooked by the citric acid in the lemon juice (like the Latin dish seviche). And don't toss the vegetables until serving time, or the vinegar will discolor the beans.

The recipe below was based on the apricot soufflés served by Sally Darr at her former New York City restaurant, La Tulipe. This recipe calls for five large egg whites. When separating your eggs, serve the yolks for the accompanying crème anglaise.