Simmer

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

Using plum tomatoes for this recipe will yield an intensely flavored soup — good for the chilly fall months — while other tomatoes make for a refreshingly lighter, more delicately flavored soup that is perfect for warm weather. The soups are equally delicious. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

You could also serve it on its own with crackers or bread, or offer it as a relish for grilled chicken or fish. It can be made with black olives as well as with green.

Though perfectly delicious on its own, this ice cream also makes a great accompaniment to spiced apple cake or caramelized apple crêpes. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 12 hr

In this typical Northern Italian entrée, polenta is topped with a rich and meaty ragù. Begin preparing the dish one day before you plan to serve it.

Spread on a roast pork or turkey sandwich, or use as a dip for grilled shrimp or as a dressing for a fruit salad.

This recipe involves tempering, in which the chocolate is melted — and if necessary, cooled — to a temperature of just below body heat. Tempering chocolate helps to ensure that it will be glossy and stay firm at room temperature.

This recipe makes lots of stock. Freeze any that's left over for another use.

Gastronomic lore tells us that the forerunner of this famous lobster dish was actually created at Delmonico's, the well-known New York City restaurant, during its heyday in the latter part of the last century. Mr. Ben Wenburg (or Wenberg, as some believe), a Delmonico's habitué during this period, is said to have devised a dish made with seafood, cream, and egg yolks. It was called Wenburg on the menu until some time later when the epicurean Mr. Wenburg became involved in a dispute with the management. Thereafter, the restaurant renamed the offering seafood "Newburg," and a classic was born.