French

Great over rice or toasted French bread.

This easy pâté can be made three days ahead.

The big bowl and tireless motor of a standing mixer take the heavy work out of preparing these tender brioche loaves.

Nice, being by the sea, offers interesting fish dishes. One of these is poutargue, made with dried and smoked roe, which you will find in some delicatessen shops. The roe should be grated or finely chopped. To every 2 cups add 1 cup chopped hard-cooked egg, 1 cup finely chopped onion, a dash of lemon juice and enough olive oil to blend all. Another dish from the sea is raïto or rayte. This is traditional on Christmas Eve throughout Provence. It is reminiscent of other fish stews, including the chioppino of California.

(Deep-Fried Potato Croquettes)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"As a kid, I'd accompany my mother to her job at the racetrack, where she would lead the horses out to the starting gate," writes Michael Hunter of Studio City, California. "Eventually I was helping out in the stalls, and when I got older, I became a jockey. My mother was also the person who, in a roundabout way, inspired my other passion: cooking. I'd come home from school, and she would have prepared something from a box or can. I didn't always like what was on the dinner table, so one day I asked her to buy me a cookbook. Pretty soon I was making dinner for us almost every night. Now, after seventeen years of racing horses and cooking for family and friends, I'm making the jump to professional cooking."

This recipe works best with Valrhona, Callebaut, or Lindt chocolate. The rich, slightly dense soufflés are made even more decadent when topped with the creamy caramel.

(Spiced Duck Spread with Green Peppercorns)