European

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

George Kelso of Edinburgh, Scotland, writes: "Although I grew up in Scotland and spent my early years as a chef here, I didn't start specializing in Scottish food until much later in my career. After working in London and at various restaurants in England, I returned to Scotland in 1988 to become chef at Ardsheal House in Argyll, where I started cooking exclusively with Scottish ingredients. We grew our own fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and even raised our own hens and ducks. That experience inspired the kind of cooking I do today at Haldanes, where I'm chef and owner. I keep the food preparation simple and use the freshest produce. That's why I use local suppliers as much as possible." Slices of prosciutto are fried until crisp for a delicious garnish.

It was years ago that Charles Fenyvesi first told me about this extraordinary layered honey torte. Jenny was deported to Auschwitz, where she died. Mr. Fenyvesi's mother experimented for twenty years until she came up with the following formula. Here is the recipe, a tribute to Hungarian Jewry and to Mr. Fenyvesi's late cousin Jenny.

(Baked Banana Pudding) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In England, plum pudding was required at Christmas in the nineteenth century, and it still is today. This luscious cake takes its cues from that beloved dessert. It combines the flavors of a plum pudding in a chocolate cake and iced it with fudge frosting.

The Scandinavian liquor aquavit adds unique flavor to this appetizer. Pour Champagne and chilled Alsace Riesling with the meal; offer lemonade with a touch of grenadine, too.

A lovely combination of apricots and cherries tops a tender crust in this great summertime treat. Serve it with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Here's our version of Barba Yianni's grilled lamb. The marinade works equally well with lamb chops, kebabs, or butterflied leg of lamb. You can also use it on pork or chicken. Skordalia is often made with mashed potatoes or bread soaked in water, but we feel the yogurt gives it more flavor. Skordalia is also good with grilled fish or chicken breasts.

Chocolate syrup and mini chocolate chips pack in the flavor for these tender, pecan-accented cookies. They're great with a cup of espresso or regular coffee.

The preparation of most hot butter sauces has as its object the relatively permanent and smooth blending together of ingredients. The grand-daddy of these sauces is Hollandaise. Here is the classic.

The heat of the cooked spaghetti wilts the mixed greens in this lemony warm pasta salad. Dry Monterey Jack is an aged Jack cheese similar to Parmesan.

(MADELEINES) While researching this book, I became fixated, absolutely fanatical, about madeleines, the plump golden tea cakes shaped like scallop shells. They were something to boost my spirits on the days when I walked for miles sleuthing in search of culinary jewels. I tasted dozens of madeleines, but only a few were "just right." The best, freshest madeleine has a dry, almost dusty taste when eaten on its own. One of my favorite versions is made by André Lerch, an Alsatian baker with a bread and pastry shop on the Left Bank. To be truly appreciated — to "invade the senses with exquisite pleasure" as they did for Marcel Proust — Madeleines must be dipped in tea, ideally the slightly lime-flavoured tilleul, which releases the fragrant, flavorful lemon essence of the little tea cake. Special madeleine tins can be found in all the French restaurant supply shops and in the housewares section of department stores. The following is a recipe I developed.

Roasted pork loin, which is commonly served on special occasions in Denmark, is here richly flavored with cardamom, juniper berries and currant jelly. Ask the butcher to cut into the chine bone of the rib roast to make it easier to carve. Note that the pork needs to marinate at least 12 hours before roasting, so plan accordingly. Uncork a fruity Merlot to go with it.