French

Oeufs en Meurette Sauce meurette is one of the grand classics of French country cooking, a dark concentrated essence of red wine, stock, and vegetables. You would expect it to be paired with the equally powerful flavors of meat or poultry, but no — meurette is unique in accompanying fish, or poached eggs, as here. For extra flavor, I like to poach the eggs in the wine, which is then used for the sauce; they emerge an odd purple hue, but this is later concealed by the glossy brown sauce. For poaching, it's well worth looking for farm-fresh eggs as they hold their shape better than store-bought eggs. Oeufs en meurette is a favorite restaurant dish, not least because it can be prepared ahead and assembled to order. However, most regrettably, it is not a dish to make in a hurry. All the elements can be prepared in advance, but the full glory of oeufs en meurette is ruined by trying to cut corners. Wine for Cooking For six months in the year, we live in northern Burgundy, where the local pinot noirs are inexpensive and appropriately light for this dish. Equally good for meurette would be a pinot from the northern end of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Avoid the "blockbuster" type of heavy pinots that come from the hotter climes of California and Australia. Wine to Drink To do justice to the richly flavored sauce, let's move up to something grander. A premier cru red from one of the villages in Burgundy's Côte de Beaune would do nicely, as would one of the more refined pinots from California's Carneros district.

For decades, the restaurant Lutèce—with chef André Soltner behind the stove—was the pinnacle of French cuisine in New York City. Soltner's Alsace onion tart, one of the best we've ever tasted, was the inspiration for this version.

Tangy crème fraîche and a very grown-up rum-pineapple topping take cheesecake to an entirely new level. For best results, use Philadelphia-brand cream cheese.

A true coq au vin is made with the master of the farmyard, a rooster. If you can't find such a beast, use a good-size roasting chicken, and reduce the cooking time (cook it for about one hour, or until the meat is tender and cooked but not falling from the bone).

Dark chocolate, light chocolate and coffee fillings alternate with nut meringue layers, and dark chocolate ganache covers the whole torte. This is an irresistible version of the traditional Parisian dessert.

Though similar in texture to a flourless chocolate cake, the addition of poppy seeds makes this torte delightfully different.

Team this outstanding entrée with some steamed broccoli and a fruity Zinfandel.

Classic French tapenade is a spread of black olives, capers and anchovies, among other ingredients. This version has green olives instead of black.

Duck, turkey or dark chicken meat can substitute for the goose with equally delicious results. Fine accompaniments are a green salad with Roquefort vinaigrette and hot crusty bread. For a quick and sophisticated dessert, add a bit of red wine and ground cinnamon to canned pears with their syrup.

While fondue originated in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (the word means "melted" in French), the dish has become an international favorite. The principal ingredients are cheese (usually Gruyère mixed with either Emmenthal or Appenzeller), white wine, kirsch and garlic. But there are as many variations on that theme as there are mountains in Switzerland.

This Parisian version of a Bialystoker tsibele (onion) pletzel, also called onion zemmel, onion pampalik, or onion board, is very similar to an Italian focaccia. Try this flat bread sprinkled with rosemary, and you will see how very close it is.

(TARTE AU CITRON)

(POTS DE CREME AU CITRON ET A LA VERVEINE) Often used to make herb tea and liqueurs in Provence, the fragrant herb lemon verbena gives a nice lift to these rich, silky lemon custards. Look for fresh lemon verbena at farmers' markets and nurseries; dried lemon verbena can be found at specialty foods stores.

(TARTE D'ABRICOTS AU MIEL ET AUX AMANDES) In early summer, apricots are abundant in Provence; here, we've called for canned apricots, which are always available.

Freeze some of this sauce now and treat yourself to a burst of summer one cold, wintry day.