European

Saffron Risotto An Italian classic, traditionally served with Osso Buco , this dish also makes a great accompaniment to the Whole Red Snapper Baked in a Salt Crust .

GELATO DI PESCA This recipe was sensational when we made it with ripe, flavorful peaches. If your peaches aren't great, try something similar, like nectarines.

Versatile breads that are good served with cheese, spread with butter and jam at teatime, or paired with a main-course salad.

Loosely translated, tiramisù means "pick me up," and it has been picked up on practically every menu in America. Since the early eighties, it has been one of the most famous Italian-American desserts, and like spaghetti and meatballs, it is far more prevalent here than in Italy. Purchased angel food cake makes this especially easy.

You don't need an ice cream maker to prepare this classic frozen treat. Accompany with amaretti or other Italian cookies.

(Garlic Roast Beef) My husband's Aunt Enza has played an important role in my life as a born-again Tuscan. We often dine at her home on Sundays for a traditional family lunch. The main course is usually what Enza calls magro, which can actually mean meatless but in Enza's lexicon signifies merely a lean or fatless choice cut of beef, sliced thin, lightly sauced with meat juices, and topped with golden brown cloves of garlic. Because Italian home cooks in cities rarely had ovens until the postwar period, meats were often cooked on top of the stove, as is Enza's. It's faster than oven-roasting and a perfect technique for people who love rare "roast" beef.

Susan Dlott of Solon, Ohio, writes: "On our last visit to New York City, we spent the day watching the St. Patrick's Day parade, sightseeing, and shopping. We topped off the trip with a marvelous meal at La Dolce Vita. My entrée of pappardelle, pancetta, and mushrooms in a Sherry tomato cream sauce was simply unforgettable. I'd like to duplicate it at home." Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 13/4 hr

This pull-out-all-the-stops cake for special occasions may be prepared in steps in advance and glazes on the day it is to be served.

A simple and satisfying version of a typically time-consuming restaurant classic.

Use any leftover sauce as an omelet filling.

The ruffle-edged egg noodles called trenette absorb some of the rich broth in the rabbit mushroom sauce.

Although the morels add a woodsy intensity to the flavor of the consommé, they are not essential. You can substitute other dried exotic mushrooms or eliminate them altogether and simply float a thin slice of fresh white mushroom on the soup right before covering the bowl with the pastry.