Bon Appétit

A joint effort by Leigh McLean and Sweet Dreams Bakery in Memphis.

This rich-tasting and easy-to-make dessert can be prepared a day in advance for hassle-free entertaining.

This light soup makes a lovely first course.

This recipe can be increased to serve any number of hungry people as a main course or appetizer. Chopped olives, chopped red or green bell peppers and kidney beans are also good in this dish.

(BISCOTTI ALL'ARANCIO E MANDORLE) While all Italian cookies are referred to as biscotti, these are really "biscotti," which means they are baked twice. True biscotti are made in many different flavor combinations in many different parts of the country. These delicate ones come from the region of Lazio, where Rome is located. The secret to the cookies' lightness is not to use too much flour and to freeze the dough before forming it into logs.

This dish known, as pastitsatha, is one that evolved from Corfu to stretch scant supplies of meat. Consisting of chicken, turkey, beef or veal braised in tomato sauce fragrant with spices, it is served over thick tubular pasta from Corfu called "perciatellli" (if you can't find it, use spaghetti). Kefalotyri is a nutty tasting hard cheese similar to Parmesan. It is available at Greek markets.

Only 1 tablespoon of oil in the filling makes these a low-fat entrée, and using ready-made wrappers instead of crepes makes it an easy one. These freeze nicely.

You can also make these with swordfish, halibut or sea bass.

Be sure to start the brisket at least a day before you plan on serving it - although it can be made up to three days ahead.

Braised carrots, a cucumber salad, and some steamed new potatoes sprinkled with chopped fresh dill are good choices to accompany this Swedish-inspired dish. Holiday cookies and mugs of hot apple cider make a happy ending.

Remarkably easy and delicious dumplings that are similar to Italian gnocchi. Serve these with grilled meat or sausage.

This creamy rice, fragrant with lemon, makes a nice accompaniment to veal. If you like, pack the rice into half-cup custard cups and unmold onto the serving plates. Garnish with additional snipped chives, if desired.

Here's an updated version of the ice cream pie — a dessert popular in America for years. It has a parfait filling instead of ice cream and is assembled in a springform pan. The familiar cookie crust and fudgy topping are still part of the recipe, but the dessert is now sophisticated enough for company.

Leftovers of this moist and flavorful meat loaf make great sandwiches.

Crema catalana is a delicious custard covered with caramelized sugar. There are several Catalan chefs who take credit for having transformed this popular dessert into an ice cream. This version is served in glasses or bowls and drizzled with a creamy caramel sauce.

Adapted from a recipe by Chef Robert McGrath of Windows on the Green, Phoenix, Arizona.