Bon Appétit

Espresso and a selection of favorite liqueurs are good with the brownies.

Serve these tacos with salsa, shredded lettuce, sliced avocado and black olives. Corn and black bean salad finishes the meal—except for dessert. We recommend spice cake.

Reminiscent of fragrant Mexican chocolate (which is spiced with cinnamon), and as fudgy as a chocolate truffle, this dessert will serve many more than six, but leftovers will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.

These ultra-rich and sophisticated chocolate tartlets are served at Bittersweet Pastry Shop.

What to drink: Offer robust French roast coffee, but also a vintage or ruby Port.

We've substituted Cornish game hens (which are much easier to find) for the squab used at Gary Danko in San Francisco. At the restaurant, the squab is stuffed with a mixed-grain pilaf. We suggest serving this with couscous or rice pilaf.

If mini pita breads are unavailable in your area, split larger pita breads horizontally in half and cut out smaller pita rounds using a 3-inch-diameter biscuit cutter. You can streamline the process by preparing both the chicken salad and the toasted pita rounds one day in advance.

Start this at least one day before serving.

"I attended a function that featured wonderful hors d'oeuvres—among them, spicy black bean cakes—from chef Matthias Radits of The Breakers in Palm Beach," writes Ruth Acteson of Lantana, Florida. "Do you suppose he would share his recipe?" The chef serves these little cakes with a mango-avocado salsa, but a purchased salsa would make a fine substitute.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Seafood Salad with Collard Greens Slaw .

An elegant, portable entrée. Baby greens with vinaigrette would round out the menu nicely. What to drink: A lightly oaked Chardonnay.

This breakfast treat is from Migis Lodge.

The sauce is reminiscent of that sentimental summertime favorite, the 50/50 Bar.

If you bake the shortbread cookies ahead, these lovely individual tarts, topped with fresh berries and glazed with jelly, can be ready in minutes. An empty eight-ounce can of crushed pineapple makes a convenient cutter for the cookies. Serve some lightly whipped cream on the side, if you like.

Ginger and sesame lend an Asian accent.

If you like the candies called Turtles, you'll love this tart. It needs to be refrigerated at least eight hours before serving.

Minus the ice cream, this delicate pudding makes a wonderfully indulgent breakfast.