Alcohol

The hearty sauce is also great over couscous.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Red-cooking is a Chinese method of braising in a soy sauce-based liquid. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Light cookies are filled with dessert-wine ice cream and fruit. The recipe makes about six cookies, so there's an allowance for breakage or extras for nibbling.

Start this meatless meal with artichokes filled with a lemon mayonnaise for dipping, and serve the risotto with a mixed green and cherry tomato salad and a basket of toasted herb bread. To polish things off, set out a purchased raspberry tart.

Serve white rice with saffron on the side, and orange sorbet topped with chocolate shavings for dessert. Look for the herbes de Provence in the spice aisle at the market.

To most Americans, Ischia, off the coast of Naples, is relatively unknown. That's a shame, because for centuries this island's thermal springs have been luring savvy travelers for restorative dips; plus, the locals produce some of the best wine in the region. At La Pergola, a family-run inn located on a hill just outside of Forio, guests enjoy some of that homemade wine, along with artisanal jams and olive oil. La Pergola also serves one of the island's most popular dishes, rabbit cacciatore, or hunter's rabbit. Chicken may be substituted for rabbit in this hearty dish.

A cored pineapple is used to serve this dessert, so be sure to select one with bright leaves.

The free-form crust of this large, rectangular tart is easy to create, but be sure to leave enough of a border (1 to 1 1/2 inches) to fold the edges up over the fruit filling. To serve, cut into squares.

Guava and papaya nectars and cream of coconut enhance this spin on the Margarita served at Café Iguana in Denver, Colorado.

Try over frozen yogurt, ice cream, pound cake, or serve with your favorite cookies.

Sweet corn shows up at New York City's Mesa Grill in many guises, including, at meal's end, a memorable ice cream created by pastry chef Wayne H. Brachman. Our version of chef Brachman's dessert differs from the original only in texture (we opted for a smooth ice cream rather than a kernel-studded one).

Mexican chocolate contains cinnamon, sugar, and ground almonds, making this sauce somewhat granular in texture. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.