Alcohol

The coffee in this cake may be replaced with a sweet fruit liqueur or with orange juice.

At the inn, the cake is decorated with Frangelico-flavored whipped cream and garnished with chocolate-covered almonds. Begin preparing the dessert a day ahead.

Two New Orleans favorites — catfish and pecans — team up in this terrific dish from Upperline Restaurant.

A hearty sweet and savory stew that's a perfect seasonal meal when teamed up with crusty bread and a green salad.

At the lodge, the tenderloin is also complemented by a spicy peach salsa.

Kir royale, the French aperitif of Champagne with a splash of cassis, becomes a sophisticated sorbet or granita. If you have them, Champagne coupes or martini glasses make elegant servers.

A sensational version of roast chicken that is great with rice.

Parmesan goes a long way on this meatless entrée, so use sparingly. Pour some Chianti.

Golden Delicious apples, as well as other good baking varieties like Rome Beauty, are a natural choice here.

Here's a lemon-based treat that is so good it will knock you over. It's accented with blue curaçao for a striking color. For something fun, serve the sorbet in scallop shells, which are sold at cookware stores.

Sauerkraut gets a smoky taste from bacon and sausage in a recipe from Orbit, a Polish restaurant in Chicago.

Duck, turkey or dark chicken meat can substitute for the goose with equally delicious results. Fine accompaniments are a green salad with Roquefort vinaigrette and hot crusty bread. For a quick and sophisticated dessert, add a bit of red wine and ground cinnamon to canned pears with their syrup.

This dish, a specialty of northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna, is named for the regions capital city. Although the meaty sauce is classically paired with tagliatelle (ribbon pasta just slightly wider than fettuccine), it also marries well with a variety of pasta shapes that trap the savory sauce.

Based on a recipe from chef Angel García of Lúculo in Madrid, Spain.