Alcohol

The Kitchen Conservatory, a popular St. Louis cooking school, knows how the superb beef of the Midwest should be cooked. Suitable accompaniments are baked potatoes, steamed carrots and a green salad. Complete the meal with a pear tart.

This can also be made with turkey cutlets.

A chewy brownie with an intense coffee flavor.

Reminiscent of fondue, this rich appetizer is lovely served alongside an assortment of crudités and your favorite mulled wine. Be sure to order the uncut wheel of cheese from a cheese shop or specialty foods store.

This dessert traditionally should have twelve different fruits to represent the Apostles. But as long as you have a good variety, it will be delicious.

At New York's Nosmo King (the name is a clever twist on "no smoking"), Alan Harding does a terrific job of cooking upscale food with almost entirely organic ingredients.

(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.

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.

The herbes de Provence used in this recipes—a blend of dried marjoram, thyme, summer savory, basil, rosemary, fennel seeds and lavender—is typically found in the cooking of southern France. It can be purchased at specialty foods stores and some supermarkets in the States.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cava, Spain's sparkling wine, is readily available at supermarkets and liquor stores.

We cooked our sausages and sauerkraut with the Oktoberfest beer that we're serving with the dish. Using a lager like this results in a deep, caramelized flavor.