European

Crêpes au cidre
These are not the thin, delicate crêpes you may be used to. Made with baking powder, they are rustic-style: heartier and a little thicker — and perfectly suited to soaking up plenty of sweet syrup. Hard cider (fermented apple cider) can be found in the beer section of most supermarkets.

Rosemary and black pepper make this bread anything but typical. Wedges are delicious with plenty of butter and your favorite preserves.

Using prepared pizza dough, you can make these homemade cheese-filled calzones just as fast as your favorite pizzeria could deliver them.

Using purchased pizza dough to make one large calzone saves lots of time. lighten up: For a lower-calorie, lower-fat calzone, use part-skim mozzarella.

The simplicity of this pasta dish lets the escarole shine. Excellent as an entrée or as a first course served before roasted chicken or beef.

Packed with springtime vegetables, this meal is a quick fix for the winter blues.

Light and fluffy, these impressive desserts look, smell, and taste extraordinary — meringue gives them a cloudlike texture, while quince adds a delicious fragrance and beautiful pink hue. And they're very manageable for a small dinner party if you make your crêpes and prepare the quince ahead (see cooks' note, below). Bring them both to room temperature when you sit down to dinner; when it's time for dessert, you'll only need to beat your egg whites and assemble the soufflés for baking.

An adaptation of Viennese butterschnitzel, these individual meatloaves are incredibly moist and juicy.

This version may not be strictly traditional, but garlic, kielbasa, shrimp, clams, and saffron bring the flavors of paella together in a satisfying way.

Crème anglaise is both a classic custard sauce and the base for many ice creams. Make a double batch and process half in an ice cream maker for a frozen treat.

This savory tart hails from France and features cottage cheese, sour cream, bacon slices, onion, and freshly grated Parmesan. You've never know by looking at it, but it's actually very easy to make and ready in under an hour. 

Magret duck breasts come from Moulard ducks; you can also use smaller Muscovy duck breasts. Both are available at some supermarkets or at dartagnan.com.