French

Here's a rich, creamy classic with a tropical twist. Begin preparing it a day ahead.

This cookie launched a thousand memories—and a literary masterpiece—for Marcel Proust. The group enjoys madeleines with tea, just as the narrator did in Swann's Way.

Beurre blanc — "white butter" — is the classic French sauce made with a reduction of vinegar, white wine and shallots. Beurre rouge is a colorful sibling, made here with a combination of red wine vinegar and red wine, which give the sauce a nice tang.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

A gratin is the golden, epicurean crust that forms on the surface of savory baked or broiled dishes. Pungent Gruyère makes a genial topping that acts as a protective layer, preventing the potatoes from drying out.

"I was married last spring, and my husband and I spent our honeymoon in Del Mar, California, at L’Auberge Del Mar Resort and Spa," writes Leah Morgan of Shoreline, Washington. "While we were there, we enjoyed the cinnamon-raisin French toast. I would love to surprise my husband by re-creating this special breakfast at home." You’ll need to buy unsliced bread from a bakery to make this super-thick French toast.

"I never had a cookbook until I moved here in my twenties to do some graduate work at the University of Oregon," writes Fanny Carroll of Eugene, Oregon. "I fell head over heels for this guy (now my husband), and he gave me Pellaprat's Modern French Culinary Art for Christmas. Still, many of the everyday dishes I made when I was raising my daughters are recipes I learned from my mother while I was growing up in the suburbs of Paris. She was quite a cook, and with a husband and seven kids to feed, everything had to be fast." Called gougères in French, these cocktail snacks are irresistible.

Côtelettes de Saumon Frais Dorigny Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

The goat cheese must be coated and refrigerated at least one hour (and up to eight hours) before cooking.

This was one of those invented-while-walking-up-and-down-the-aisles-of-the-supermarket dishes; the thought process in it is a good example of how one uses taste elements to design a dish. It was a cold day and the idea of a hearty pork roast conjured up some equally substantial lentils. Then the hard salami and figs suggested themselves for salt and balancing sweetness. We figured the bulbiness of the onions would pull up all of the strong tastes in the wild palate of this recipe. Serve with lentil stew.

My recipe was adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I've changed the meats (a lot) and the seasonings (a bit). I've also tinkered with cooking times and sequence.

The flavors and juices of this Provençal-style tuna sandwich seep into the bread while it is being pressed. Serve with: Marinated green beans and herbed orzo salad.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Flourless Chocolate-Orange Almond Cake .