Make Ahead

A small slice of this delightfully dense chocolate cake goes a long way.

This recipe makes more meringue than you'll need for 8 servings. You can pipe the extra into sticks and bake them to eat as a snack. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

This salad is excellent with burgers and corn on the cob.

The roast is cooked along with beef short ribs, ham hocks and sausage for a hearty meal. Offer with polenta, mashed potatoes or the Roasted Root Vegetables with Green Onions . Begin the veal the day before cooking to allow the garlic-herb rub to flavor the meat.

Nice with grilled fish or chicken, this can also be served on toasted baguette slices as an appetizer.

For the fudgiest brownies, be sure not to overbake these, from Steffi Berne's Cookie Jar Cookbook.

This elegant dessert was inspired by Vienna's Spanische Windtorte, a giant meringue shell filled with cream and berries. The sauce is a colorful and delicious accompaniment; if there is some left over, use it on pancakes, waffles or ice cream.

This recipe was created to be used in the preparation of Almond Praline Ice Cream Cake.

The fresh flavors and crisp textures in this salsa complement the tender sea bass.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

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

This dessert tastes indulgent, but it's made with nonfat cottage cheese, nonfat cream cheese and evaporated skim milk.

This thick, spicy sauce is typically used in Moroccan dishes. Use it as an accompaniment for Shrimp Phyllo Purses with Tomato Chermoula Sauce.

Zia Maria is a simple but delightful restaurant in Alghero, a popular tourist resort on a part of Sardinia's west coast known as the Coral Riviera. The dining room is very basic; a large fireplace and some antique cooking equipment are the only things to distract you from the traditional Sardinian menu. But that's a good thing, because once you start in on pickled artichokes and mushrooms, wild boar in sweet-and-sour broth, or ricotta ravioli with tomato sauce, you'll appreciate having few distractions. Each dish, like these tangy onions from the restaurant's selection of antipasti, is cooked and presented in straightforward fashion.