European

(Green Onion Mashed Potatoes) Champ is traditionally served with a well in the middle that has a dab of butter melting in it. The potatoes are usually eaten from "outside" to "inside," dipping each bite into the butter. From the Tinakilly Country House & Restaurant in Rathnew, Ireland.This recipe was created to accompany Beef Tenderloin with Spring Vegetables.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Definitely not Ye Olde English Classic, but very delicious and very contemporary. Using store-bought sponge cake (ask for it at your supermarket bakery) or pound cakes simplifies assembly.

(ZALETTINI) These shortbread-like cookies get their crunchy texture and pretty yellow color from cornmeal. They are enjoyed all over Veneto, a region known for its polenta. In fact, zalettini means "little yellow ones" in the Venetian dialect.

These slightly sweet rounds are a cross between a cookie and a cracker. Eat them plain or with jam for breakfast, or top them with cheese for a snack.

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.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

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.

This nucato is related to the delicious nougat noir ("black nougat") still made in the southern French town of Sisteron. But here, there is an additional pleasant surprise when you taste it: the perfumed bite of spices. This is a perfect treat for Christmastime.

(POULET AUX ARTICHAUTS)

(GIGOT D'AGNEAU AUX POMMES DE TERRE ET OIGNONS)

"Every three months, I host a dinner party for the supper club I belong to," says Brianna P. Burks of Salt Lake City, Utah. "The last time it was my turn to cook I prepared an Italian dinner and set myself a new challenge: to make otherwise bland polenta into a truly delicious side dish. I found that Fontina adds creaminess and flavor, and thyme is just the right accent." Wonderful with steak, chicken or pork.