Make Ahead
Mixed Berry and Pecan Shortcakes
It's so easy to make these processor-quick biscuits ahead if you like. Then reheat, split and fill them with ice cream and berries just before serving.
Sea Bass with Gingered Vegetable Stir-Fry
In this light yet intensely flavored dish, the fish is baked, then served with a sauce rich in Asian flavors. Offer with steamed white rice, and pour white wine or Champagne.
Mustard Vinaigrette
This recipes was created to accompany Roast Chicken with Mustard Vinaigrette and Potato Salad with Haricots Verts, Roquefort and Walnuts.
Spanakopita
Things made with phyllo are generally off-limits to dieters. Try this light version of the classic Greek dish with fruit and a tossed salad for a satisfying meal.
Almond Meringues
(GERMINUS)
Sardinia has many interestingly named sweets, and these cookies called germinus are the most famous of all. They are flatter and chewier than classic meringues and get a crisp accent from the nuts.
Chicken, Sausage, and Okra Gumbo
A low-fat sausage will work here, though it will not produce as flavorful a gumbo.
Oxtail Stew with Tomatoes and Bacon
Braising brings out the best in oxtails, the star of this long-simmered stew. It is garnished with bright green sugar snap peas for a contemporary touch.
Mrs. Kolbert's Coconut Bars
When our executive food editor was a little girl, she liked the Christmas cookies at her best friend Allyson's house better than any others. Mrs. Kolbert, whose recipe this is, was apparently the author of much goodness in this world, as it was she who first introduced Allyson's parents to each other.
Roast Veal Brisket with Marsala-Mushroom Sauce
This hearty winter entrée can be prepared several days ahead. Veal brisket is the boned veal breast. If you don't have a roasting pan large enough to hold both briskets, divide the ingredients in half and bake in two pans. If the veal is difficult to find, substitute one 5-pound flat-cut beef brisket and roast until tender, about 3 1/2 hours. Leftovers freeze well and make great sandwiches.
Smoked-Turkey Tea Sandwiches with Arugula Mayonnaise
Try the arugula mayonnaise on burgers, and chicken and tuna sandwiches, too.
Biddy's Flapjacks
In the 1600s, "flapjack" referred to a thick pancake that was cooked on a skillet and turned by being tossed (flapped). By the 1930s, it had come to mean a biscuit like this, made from rolled oats, syrup and butter--sort of the granola bars of their day. They're the perfect thing to have with a cup of tea or coffee.
By Jackie O'Halloran