Nutmeg

This is a very near replica of the small cheese quiches Madame Fromage sells each Saturday at the Louviers market.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This can be used to lighten any casserole that calls for a white sauce.

Chicken Tetrazzini was named after the Italian opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini, who was popular in the United States in the early 1900s. No one is sure when and where the dish was created, but it remains a favorite, especially during the holiday season, when leftover turkey is often substituted for chicken.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 5 hr

This poultry dish features many of the flavors of the classic Moroccan dish b'stilla but is much easier to make.

This simple but satisfying dish — full of slightly sweet parsnip and celery root chunks — can be made ahead and just reheated before serving.

"The recipes here reflect my British roots, but not necessarily my family traditions," writes Mairi Morrison of London, England. "Although my mother is from Scotland and my father is from Northern Ireland, I grew up in Los Angeles, where our weeknight meals were typically American: spaghetti, tacos, and burgers. It wasn't until I moved to Europe that I became really interested in food. Here in London my social life is centered around the table. I really like this dish because it is typically British, and perfect for a rainy winter evening in London." A nice side with lamb, chicken or fish dishes.

Buttery-tasting Yukon Gold potatoes can now be found in grocery stores and farmers' markets all across the country, but this recipe can certainly be made with russet potatoes instead.

Any combination of nuts will work nicely in this winter tart.

This version of the much maligned Christmas classic is deliciously lacking in candied cherries, giant mixed nuts and citron, but it is filled with bits of marzipan and lots of appealing dried fruit. Baking the cakes in disposable aluminum loaf pans (available at supermarkets) or in decorative cardboard loaf pans (available at some cookware stores or by mail order) makes gift giving easy; just wrap each cake in its pan in cellophane, and add a colorful ribbon.

This is a variation on a cake that my mother makes for both dessert and breakfast. The original recipe used a couple of bowls and a mixer, but I've developed a quick saucepan method, and even my mother says it has the same moist, tender texture and flavor.

Remove the skin from the game hens before roasting them to make this delicious main course lower in fat. Uncork a bottle of Chardonnay, and offer steamed yellow and green zucchini alongside.

You don't have to be in the kitchen at the crack of dawn to prepare a terrific breakfast. In this recipe the French toast is soaked overnight like bread pudding — in the morning all you need to do is add the topping and pop it in the oven. Serve it with coffee, juice, and fresh fruit and you've got a well-rounded way to start the day.

While I was growing up, my mother was very good about cooking food she knew I liked (I was such a picky eater). That's why I found it inexplicable that she kept making baked acorn squash, which I considered, at best, repulsive. Once she wouldn't let me leave the table until it was all gone. No surprisingly, we sat there all night!