Simmer

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At fenix restaurant in The Argyle hotel in Los Angeles, chef Ken Frank layers the ice cream with spice cake, then tops it with the rum-spiked bananas.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Begin making these frozen treats at least one day before serving.

Candida Sportiello writes: "As owner and chef of Il Giardino restaurant, on the tiny island of Ventotene off the coast of Naples, I've been cooking professionally for twenty-five years — but I've been cooking for pleasure for a good fifty years. As is the Italian way, most of my favorite recipes were handed down from my mother and grandmother, so they date from the early 1900s." This rich dessert is called a semifreddo ("half frozen") in Italian.

Sopa de Camarones con Chile Pasilla Fried pasilla chile strips add an alluring crunch and intense caramelized flavor.

Arroz con Leche Mexican cooks prefer Ceylon cinnamon, a less pungent variety than the cassia cinnamon sold in U.S. markets. In Latin American markets, it will simply be labeled canela (Spanish for "cinnamon"). In supermarkets or specialty foods stores, look for Ceylon or Sri Lanka cinnamon.

This silky puree can be made one day ahead. What to drink: That's easy — offer guests Irish ale throughout the meal.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Coffee and Turrón Ice Cream Torte with Honey-Brandy Oranges .

If you trim and blanch the green beans and turnips one day ahead of time, this dish will come together in just minutes.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Russian Walnut-Cherry Latkes with Cherry-Apple Sauce. Also delicious over Cornish game hens.

Creamy fresh cheese meets spinach in this Indian classic.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. In France many swear by cooking these carrots in the pure water of Vichy, said to best bring out the vegetable's delicate flavor, but in truth the dish is delicious made with good water of any origin.

Made with yogurt instead of cream, this pureed soup is deceptively light. The green apple peels, thinly sliced and fried, make a delicious garnish.