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Cheesecake Mousse with Rum-Poached Plums

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Filet Mignon with Red Wine-Horseradish Sauce

From the Snake River Grill in Jackson, Wyoming.

Chocolate Almond Truffle Squares

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Red Wine, Garlic and Honey Glaze

The honey does not sweeten the chops-it just helps them brown. For an authentic accompaniment, uncork a bottle of the pungent resin-flavored Greek wine called retsina, or simply opt for a favorite Sauvignon Blanc. Serve coffee ice cream and purchased baklava to complete the menu.

Chinese Barbecued Pork

Gruyère Fondue with Salsa Verde

Not a Mexican salsa, this Italian "green sauce" is made of fresh basil, parsley, garlic and a big splash of vermouth. Swirled atop the cheese mixture, the salsa verde adds a lovely marbled effect to the fondue.

Veal Shoulder with Porcini Mushrooms, Garlic and Rosemary

Start making this at least one day ahead.

Tagliatelle with Mussels, Clams and Pesto

Crusty Italian bread and mixed greens with a red wine vinaigrette are good with the pasta. Afterward, put out big strawberries and bowls of mascarpone cheese (or sour cream) and brown sugar for dipping.

Roast Chicken with Herb Butter, Onions and Garlic

Serve this with the Crispy Potato Galette, buttered green beans and a red Côtes du Rhône or white Burgundy.

Panna Cotta with Strawberry-Vin Santo Sauce

(Panna Cotta con Salsa di Fragole al Vin Santo) As tiramisù became the Italian restaurant dessert of the 1980s, so did panna cotta take over in the 1990s. The original recipe for "cooked cream" comes from Piedmont, but Tuscans have appropriated it. Their version of the eggless custard is often topped with honey and pine nuts, since the Tuscan city of Pisa is Europe's largest producer of pinoli. This recipe incorporates those ingredients into the custard, then tops it off with a delicious strawberry sauce laced with Vin Santo, the cherished dessert wine of the region. Begin making this one day ahead.

Maida Heatter's Chocolate Cookies with Gin-Soaked Raisins

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 10 hr (includes soaking raisins)
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