Beverages

At the restaurant the chef garnishes this dish with fresh seasonal flowers, chervil, and chives.

Broccoli is called sparaceddi in Sicilian. In this side dish, it is "drowned" in a heady mixture of olive oil, onions, anchovies, olives, red wine and cheese. While there are variations of the basic preparation throughout Italy, food historians generally think it to be of Sicilian origin.

Have your butcher order the veal breast, then ask him to bone, butterfly, and pound it, forming a rectangle that has the dimensions described in the recipe.

Look for ripe mangoes that are slightly soft to the touch. To evoke the tropics even more, serve the fruit with coconut macaroons or macadamia nut cookies.

Poach the pears and serve with traditional anise-flavored fried pastries. Start the pears one day ahead.

This luscious frozen dessert can be made without an ice cram maker. Begin preparing the recipe at least one day ahead.

Pastry chef Valerie Hill offers this appealing treat at the Morrison-Clark Historic Inn & Restaurant in Washington, D.C. Allowing the yogurt to drain produces the thick and creamy yogurt cheese.

The unique filling has a flavor and soft texture reminiscent of orange marmalade.

An elegant entrée in about 15 minutes — using ingredients you are likely to have on hand. Serve the chicken with mashed potatoes and baby peas or a Bibb lettuce salad for a balanced weeknight meal. Finish with a raspberry tart from the bakery.

An old-fashioned cake gets a new treatment: Some of the trimmed cake crumbs are mixed with chocolate-cookie crumbs and pressed onto the frosting. Fresh raspberries are the colorful crowning touch.

Crusty Italian bread and a simple salad round out a delicious meatless meal. What to drink: A robust Italian Barbera.

Ana Garcia of Cuernavaca, Mexico, writes: "My great-grandmother, Josefina, was a highly regarded butcher, and she taught me the communal style of cooking that Mexico is known for. That's one of the reasons I opened my own cooking school, La Villa Bonita — to show others how authentic Mexican cuisine is prepared, as opposed to the usual tacos, burritos, and Tex-Mex dishes. "My husband, Robb, and I also run our own restaurant, Reposado. He insisted that we open the place because he thought my recipes deserved a wider audience. At the restaurant I like to experiment — the menu at Reposado is nouvelle Mexican — but at my cooking school I feature more traditional recipes. Working at both places gives me the chance to show off both cooking styles. " Unlike the classic delicate flans, these are made with condensed milk and cream cheese, which results in a rich texture.

Known as bifteck haché in France, this dish would go well with potatoes au gratin from the freezer case and buttered, lightly steamed spinach. End with chocolate mousse.