French

Salt and caramel are longstanding companions, but many chefs are playing with the balance to heighten intensity. Begin making these treats one day ahead to allow time for chilling.

Each filling makes enough for one batch of cookies. Whichever filling you choose, be sure to prepare it a day ahead.

You can buy jars of tapenade at some specialty markets, but Jody Adams prefers the taste of homemade.

A 1980 charter signed by 11 restaurants (7 in Marseille) dictates what kinds of fish form the basis of an authentic local bouillabaisse. These are generally unavailable here, so we suggest using the freshest nonoily fish you can get, preferably three to five different kinds. As long as we were taking liberties, we also added lobster and used fennel fronds in place of pastis. And though the broth and croutons are usually served separately from the fish itself in Marseille, we enjoyed everything together. Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

This recipe was inspired by a dish that a group of our food editors enjoyed at Chez Maître Paul, a Paris bistro. As the name suggests, poulet à la fermière contains a farmwife's bounty—chicken, cheese, vegetables, and herbs.

The fabulous texture and perfect balance of coffee and brandy flavors in the custard are enhanced with a crunchy brown-sugar topping. Bake the custards a day ahead so that they chill fully before the topping is broiled.

This chocolate cream icing is a pastry chef's staple. Use it to glaze a cake or, when it cools, whip it to a piping consistency.

H.F. Lippincott of Montgomery, Alabama, writes: "The chicken marengo at O'Briens Bistro, in Pensacola, Florida, is delicious. I'd love to have the recipe."

Decadent and inimitably French, this recipe was inspired by Jacques Drouot, manager of Le Dôme in Paris. Any leftover fresh truffle can be shaved over scrambled eggs, pasta, or risotto. Jarred truffles are an option, too, but don't have the same intensity of flavor. Or the truffles can be omitted altogether.

This terrific combination is very nice with baked ham.

To complement this Provençal-style entrée, sprinkle torn radicchio with oil, vinegar and Niçoise olives, and mix chopped chives and grated Parmesan into pasta. Finish with a purchased lemon tart. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In this great dessert, luscious custard tops a thin layer of mocha ganache.

(Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives)

Also great layered with some sweetened mixed berries or other fruit and presented in parfait glasses.

This is the soup everyone enjoyed in Louviers for Carnaval. Quick to make, deliciously satisfying and alluring, you will find it hits the spot on a cool late winter to spring evening.

Poulet aux Quarante Gousses d'Ail Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 50 min Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic was a recipe that allowed us to be provocative without being downright offensive. It presents the softer side of garlic — the "stinking rose" — mellowed by long, slow cooking.

This is the best clafouti I have ever tasted, for it is short on flour, long on custard, and the butter gives it an added depth of flavor. Remove the pits if you like. If you leave the pits in the cherries, be sure to warn your guests so they don't crack their teeth!

This traditional French dessert combines all the best qualities of custard, pudding, and cake.