French

Crisp rounds of potato are layered with wild mushrooms in this hearty dish. Prepare both galettes in the morning, then reheat them after the turkey comes out of the oven.

Offer this main course with plenty of crusty bread to soak up the delicious saffron broth. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc is good here, too.

A tablespoon of sugar may be added to the batter for sweet crêpes, but with more they tend to scorch.

Serve this rustic dish with French bread or rice to savor every last drop.

Madeleines au Chocolat Madeleines are good any time, any where. Here are some secrets to making madeleines, and a wonderful chocolate version which is guaranteed to please! • Make the dough up to three days in advance and chill it in the refrigerator.
• Heavily butter the molds and chill them so the butter hardens before the molds are filled with batter.
• Refrigerate the filled molds before baking.
• Make sure the oven is fully hot before baking the madeleines.
• Bake for no longer than 7 minutes — the madeleines should not quite spring back when you touch them. This ensures a moist result.

(Thon Poêlé et "Mariné," Vinaigrette d'Olives Noires) A sophisticated starter from chef Guy Savoy.

This is a classic French preparation that is easy to prepare and quite light. Once you have mastered the base, you can add any fruit that you have on hand. It is a great brunch dish since it is not quite an entrée nor is it sweet enough to be a dessert. One omelette is just enough for two people, and since I think that it is almost impossible to make an attractive omelette large enough to feed six, it is best to make one recipe at a time when feeding more than two people. You can keep the finished omelettes warm in a preheated 300° oven while you make the necessary number.

This is a typical Norman recipe, a way to use up the little bits of cheese that somehow manage to end up on a cheese platter. It is delicious.

We adapted this dish from a recipe in La Cuisine Spontanée by Swiss chef Frédy Girardet. Braising the chicken breasts over the leeks keeps them satisfyingly moist and tender. Crusty bread is a good accompaniment.