Make Ahead

Use leftover cooked chicken, or buy a cooked chicken at the market or a take-out place. Serve the salad with warm tortillas, or try the chicken mixture (without the lettuce) as a sandwich filling.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A joint effort by Leigh McLean and Sweet Dreams Bakery in Memphis.

(BISCOTTI ALL'ARANCIO E MANDORLE) While all Italian cookies are referred to as biscotti, these are really "biscotti," which means they are baked twice. True biscotti are made in many different flavor combinations in many different parts of the country. These delicate ones come from the region of Lazio, where Rome is located. The secret to the cookies' lightness is not to use too much flour and to freeze the dough before forming it into logs.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Only 1 tablespoon of oil in the filling makes these a low-fat entrée, and using ready-made wrappers instead of crepes makes it an easy one. These freeze nicely.

Be sure to start the brisket at least a day before you plan on serving it - although it can be made up to three days ahead.

Here's an updated version of the ice cream pie — a dessert popular in America for years. It has a parfait filling instead of ice cream and is assembled in a springform pan. The familiar cookie crust and fudgy topping are still part of the recipe, but the dessert is now sophisticated enough for company.

Leftovers of this moist and flavorful meat loaf make great sandwiches.

Crema catalana is a delicious custard covered with caramelized sugar. There are several Catalan chefs who take credit for having transformed this popular dessert into an ice cream. This version is served in glasses or bowls and drizzled with a creamy caramel sauce.

Adapted from a recipe by Chef Robert McGrath of Windows on the Green, Phoenix, Arizona.

(Sorbetto al Melone)

(Moroccan Chicken, Chick-Pea, and Lentil Soup) A marvelous vegetarian harira sampled at the United Nations' Delegates Dining Room--prepared by chef Mohamed Boussaoud, from the hotel La Mamounia in Marrakech--provided the inspiration for the following chicken-based version. In Morocco this soup is often made with lamb as well as chicken and is traditionally served after sundown during the month of Ramadan to break each day's fast.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.