Simmer

These are terrific as hors d'oeuvres at a cocktail party or on their own as a main course. Have your butcher cut the ribs into two-inch lengths, or you can do it yourself at home with a cleaver.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The delicate 1/16-inch-wide pasta ribbons known as taglierini or tagliolini are the perfect foil for scallops and this elegant-and easy-sauce.

Although the morels add a woodsy intensity to the flavor of the consommé, they are not essential. You can substitute other dried exotic mushrooms or eliminate them altogether and simply float a thin slice of fresh white mushroom on the soup right before covering the bowl with the pastry.

Curry powder, cumin, and cinnamon give this dish a hint of the exotic.

This simple and delicious starter gets a hint of spiciness from cayenne pepper.

A make-ahead smoked salmon butter and some fresh cod dress up clam chowder beautifully for company. Team the stew with a favorite coleslaw and warm buttermilk biscuits for a cozy winter meal.

Some soups genuinely do inspire a devotion akin to love, and this is one of them. In the cold of winter, when Gourmet editors ponder the matter of what soup to cook up in a steamy Saturday morning kitchen to provide comfort all weekend long, they decide with remarkable frequency to make the following one. Those in the know also add about a pound of smoked sausage; even the best can be made better.

Complement the delicious soup with biscuits and a spinach and red bell pepper salad. Top it all off with some sliced sweetened plums spooned over vanilla ice cream.

For a nice gift, simply decorate the jars with gold ribbon, and attach tags that include the rewarming instructions. Or pack a basket with a jar of this sauce, Chocolate-Almond Sauce , an ice cream scoop and four or six sundae goblets.

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