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All the appeal of traditional mincemeat pie—without all of the traditional work.

Try any leftover sauce on ice cream.

Beef rib meat becomes tender and succulent with slow cooking over low, indirect heat. Marinate the ribs overnight and allow for three hours of cooking time on the grill.

The origin of this dish is unknown, but it's a common menu feature of many Italo-American restaurants of the red-sauce variety. In kitchen lingo, a shoemaker is a shortcutting, skillful hack; a shoemaker cobbles things, a meal, together from the meager things on hand. In Italian, scarpa translates as "shoe" and scarpariella is slang for shoemaker. The actual name for one who plies this trade is calzolaio. In Chicken Scarpariella, a spring chicken is "hacked" up in to small pieces and quickly cooked with a few common ingredients.

The following recipe is made with an electric blender, because it is so quick. If you do not have one, gradually blend the egg yolks into the flour with a wooded spoon, beat in the liquids by droplets, then strain through a fine sieve. Crêpe batter should be made at least 2 hours before it is to be used; this allows the flour particles to expand in the liquid and insures a tender, light, thin crêpe. The first crêpe is a trial one to test out the consistency of your batter, the exact amount you need for the pan, and the heat.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 1/4 hr (includes chilling)

The popular rum-and-mint cocktail from Cuba was the inspiration for this entrée. A last-minute spritz of grilled lime adds even more flavor. Garnish with grilled pineapple slices cut into star shapes, if desired.

This sauce is basted on the meat as it grills. It would also be great served alongside; the recipe doubles easily.

You can start preparing these one day ahead. What to drink: A svelte red Burgundy from the Côte de Nuits or a Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Butternut squash and a variety of beans give this vegetarian dish its hearty texture.

The sweetness and creaminess of this cheese celebrate the breaking of the traditional Russian dairy-free fast that precedes Easter and provide a nice contrast to the salty meats and bold flavors of the rest of the holiday menu.

In manor-house cooking, meat, poultry, and fish were preserved by being "potted" — minced and combined with seasonings, then packed in a container and covered with a layer of fat or butter. The fat was removed before serving, and the contents of the container spread on toasts or crackers.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min