French

This is the pastry version of the popular Franco-German dessert.

Brush thick slices of country bread with olive oil to grill alongside the vegetables. To begin, dice some cucumber into chilled vichyssoise (either from a can or from restaurant takeout); offer watermelon and bakery brownies for dessert.

A French classic gets a little twist from Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro in New York.

This appetizer can be made with the leftover snails from Scallops with Snail-Garlic Butter and Leeks .

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

We used chef Fergus Henderson's technique for braising duck legs so the skin sides, peeking above the liquid like "alligators in a swamp," stay crisp while the meat braises.

"Growing up in an Italian-American household meant bread on the table with every meal," says Gina M. Sarti of Malvern, Pennsylvania. "I've continued the family tradition by making my own bread to serve at dinner, although I don't always stick to Italian. These French loaves with a touch of honey are great with just about any dish, especially soups."

This dish was inspired by pommes Anna, the regal, crisp-crusted potato cake rumored to have been named for Anna Deslions, a famous courtesan in nineteenth-century Paris.

"On our honeymoon in Hawaii, my husband and I enjoyed dinner at Princeville Resort's La Cascata restaurant on Kauai's north shore," writes Jamie Smietan of Rancho Santa Margarita, California. "I tried the crème brûlée which had a rich coffee flavor. A copy of the recipe would be the perfect souvenir." Begin preparing this a day before you plan to serve it. The sugar is caramelized quickly under the broiler, but a small blowtorch (made for the kitchen) would work well, too.

This impressive dessert features two classic components: the buttery sponge cake known as genoise and the rich frosting known as ganache. Making the genoise and syrup ahead eliminates last-minute fuss. Any leftover ganache can be chilled, rolled into balls and presented as another classic: truffles.

(Vanilla Custard Sauce)Use the left-over eggs yolks from Rosewater Angel Food Cake to make this dessert sauce. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.