Bon Appétit

Purchased phyllo pastry is used here instead of a regular pie crust for quick and easy assembly. This tart is best when served at room temperature.

A combination of spicy, tangy and aromatic flavors, this light soup is also really satisfying.

From Jane Butel's cooking school in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Accented with Asian seasonings, this cole-slaw makes a refreshing side dish.

This Italian version of fruitcake is dense, chewy and candy-like. Wrap it in brightly colored cellophane for giving.

Serve over freshly steamed rice and garnish with chopped green onions.

A low-fat but tasty version of a typically calorie-laden favorite.

Serve this with white rice to soak up the delicious sauce.

Surround the dip with carrots sticks, cauliflower, fennel, yellow squash and zucchini slices for a colorful presentation. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Nice with the chicken, as a side dish for burgers, or on its own as a snappy vegetarian main course.

Fresh raspberries and blueberries enhance both the filling and the topping of this creamy and delicious dessert. Begin preparing it a day before serving.

This simple entrée is a variation of a dish from Ristorante Don Alfonso in the town of Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, just outside Naples. There, it's sometimes served on toasted Italian bread, which soaks up the "crazy water" - the tomato-based sauce. The fish is quick to prepare and is also low in fat.

Red pears are first choice here, but any ripe, firm pears would be delicious. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Strawberries and rhubarb are just two of the many flavorful produce varieties grown in this region. During fall and winter, the frozen versions stand up surprisingly well, especially in dishes like this compote, which we serve over ice cream or frozen yogurt for dessert or plain breakfast.

A salad of baby greens and raspberry vinaigrette and some pencil-thin breadsticks go well with the pasta. End the dinner with orange sherbet, Swedish butter cookies and, perhaps, a shot of aquavit.