European

The pesto works well as a sauce for pasta, chicken, or fish, too.

This dish has a livelier, fresher taste than traditional risotto because the vegetables are cooked separately from the rice and then spooned over it in a rich ragout.

Because the blackberry coulis flavors the glaze for this dark chocolate cake, it should be made ahead of the cake.

Ann Gillespie of Alexandria, Virginia, writes: "Because I'm balancing graduate school and a family, I try to cook things that don't take a lot of time. But I love experimenting with ingredients, so most of my recipes are easy to make and use interesting flavor combinations. This pasta dish is reminiscent of what my husband and I would cook when we were first married."

These little appetizer pizzas are perfect finger food.

Inexpensive and flavorful, blade steaks become even more enticing when topped with a slightly sweet-and-sour Italian-style vegetable sauce.

This torte is a masterful mix of textures: The top crust bakes up with a hint of crackly crunch, giving way to a moist, light interior studded with tiny bits of hazelnut.

Silky caramel sauce served with a foamy soufflé makes for an opulent textural contrast. And unlike a warm soufflé that you bake, this chilled version (and the sauce) can be made ahead.

Marsha and John Antonelli of Whittier, California, write: "We recently had lunch at Bistro Jeanty, in Yountville, California, where the ham, leek, and three-cheese quiche was so outstanding we went back twice. Could you persuade the chef to share this excellent recipe?" Extremely creamy and rich, this quiche could be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can make your own crust, but the premade kind will save some time.

Featuring flat little pieces of pasta filled with semisoft cheese, this soup is made by families in the countryside around the ancient spa town of Brisighella, in Romagna. If you don't have time to make the broth called for here, use your favorite homemade broth instead.

Improv: Try mussels instead of clams; substitute basil for the parsley.

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.

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.

Real French Muenster (available at specialty foods stores) will make a big difference in this soufflé. What to drink: A dry white wine with plenty of perfume, like Gewürztraminer.

Use a mandoline to cut the parsnips easily.

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.

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