Puff Pastry

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve these pastries as the first course of a special-occasion supper — maybe with a bottle of chilled Champagne.

These hors d'oeuvres are light, flaky and absolutely addictive. They are also simple to prepare and make a big impression — just what you want in party food.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Prick the pastry with a fork so that it doesn't puff up during baking. This tart works as an entree or, cut into smaller pieces, as hors d'oeuvres.

These cookies are best enjoyed the same day they are made.

We used a wire mesh cooling rack to form the decorative pattern on this pastry, but any metal cooling rack can be used. Also, if you have a small rack that cannot cover all the pastry at once, you will need to bake it in batches.

The do-ahead steps make this recipe great for entertaining.

Millefoglie con Crema alla Grappa e Rabarbaro Millefoglie is the Italian version of the French pastry mille-feuille (meaning "thousand leaves"), which is then layered with fruit and cream, napoleon-style. We like Julia brand grappa best for this particular recipe — it's slightly sweeter and has a more well-rounded flavor than other grappas we've tasted. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

Here, grapes top rounds of puff pastry (purchased, for ease), which form the crust of the two rustic tarts.

In the book American Gourmet, Jane and Michael Stern describe beef Wellington as a "lardaceous dish" that is "rich beyond reason." The pastry-wrapped beef was the ultimate in dinner-party fare in the sixties. In our re-creation, salmon fillets cook in frozen puff pastry sheets, which arrived in the seventies.

Elegance doesn't come any easier than this treat made with purchased puff pastry.

For best results, choose ripe yellow bananas that do not have brown speckles on their skins. This dessert is great served either slightly warm or at room temperature.

Executive chef Bridget Batson of Hawthorne Lane serves this dessert with homemade caramel sauce (you can use purchased if you like). If you're running short of time, omit the homemade ice cream and mix chopped peanut brittle into your favorite vanilla ice cream.

All of the components for this sophisticated dessert can be made the day before, then assembled quickly at the last minute. Sabayon (also called zabaglione) is a custard sauce that is whisked over hot water until it is light and foamy.