Beverages

The low-fat mushroom ragout can also be served over toast points or as a side dish.

An impressive but easy dessert that's like a custard with fruit baked in it. In the summertime, make it with fresh peaches or plums instead of the pears.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The olives used in this traditional recipe are fresh, black, uncured, ripe olives, but wrinkled, salt- cured black olives will do just as well. If you do have ripe black olives from an olive tree in your backyard, drop a handful in rapidly boiling water for about 20 minutes, then drain and use in the reicpe. This is often served with soft polenta.

Many dessert menus include a colorful sorbet plate-light and refreshing after a rich meal. Offer elegant cookies alongside. For the pink grapefruit sorbet recipe, we prefer Essencia, a dessert wine with the unique flavor of orange muscat grapes. It's made by Quady Vineyards in central California. If you cannot find it, use a Sauternes or a late-harvest Riesling.

Roast goose with apples, a specialty of Alsace, has become a classic Hanukkah dish in Paris. This recipe comes from Didier Lewkowicz, a butcher in the old Jewish quarter of Paris. Serve a French red Bordeaux with the goose.

Forget gefilte fish and try this instead: a version of a French classic called carpe à la juive. (It calls for salmon trout instead of carp.) The fish (opposite) is chilled overnight, so begin the recipe a day ahead. Pour a Riesling.

Ciabatta is a wonderfully chewy classic Italian bread that is being rediscovered by specialty bakers around the country. Look for a rather wide, flat, flour-dusted bread, whether shaped into rolls or loaves. The rolls we used were 4- to 5-inch rectangles, but one or two ciabatta loaves would work equally well. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This is terrific brushed onto grilled chicken or ribs, or spread onto brisket or barbecued-pork sandwiches.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At the Markham in New York, this cake is served with toasted almond ice cream.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This dessert is easy to make on a cleaned rack after grilling a main course.

This is also a great vegetarian entrée.

In this easy salad, salty prosciutto contrasts with peppery arugula and cooling mango. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

Ask your butcher to remove the large bone from the leg of lamb, leaving the shank bone intact. Begin preparing this main course a day ahead. Team it with carrots, French bread and some Cabernet Sauvignon. When your guests have finished the lamb, serve a mixed green salad. For dessert, offer purchased pear sorbet and biscotti and serve with cups of espresso.