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Try this rich sauce over pasta or over the <a></a> Parmesan Polenta Squares

Here is a terrific lower-fat version of the classic New Orleans dish.

Italian risotto, traditionally served as an appetizer, makes a great vegetarian meal when served with a salad. In this recipe, butter and cream have been replaced with a flavorful mushroom broth. Porcini mushrooms and Arborio rice are available at Italian markets, specialty food stores and some supermarkets.

It's hard to believe that a Michelin-starred establishment would serve a dessert that's this simple, but good cooking is about knowing when to leave well enough alone. Steve prefers Irish whiskey for the ice-cream, but you can use Scotch.

An accompaniment to <epi:recipelink id="13198">Spiced Venison Steaks</epi:recipelink>

Delicious over vanilla ice cream.

As with all jams and jellies, make a small batch as indicated here, so that it cooks well and thoroughly for the short time indicated, preserving the pure flavor of the berries.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

You can make this dish with white truffles as well. Canned white truffles are more pungent than the black ones and provide an exciting gastronomic treat when added to the sauce.

Market Tip: Avoid packaged ground lamb, which can be extremely fatty. Instead, buy shoulder meat or lamb stew meat, which has some fat, and ask the butcher to grind it.

Accompany this dish with a salad of baby lettuces and sliced sweet onion- such as Vidalia or Maui- and some seeded breadsticks. End with chocolate frozen yogurt drizzled with coffee liqueur or chocolate sauce.

Chestnuts are harvested in the area around Alba and figure in many savory and sweet dishes there, particularly stews like this ragout. Gathered after they have fallen, chestnuts are traditionally served with game, but they also pair well with veal-another staple of northern Italian cuisine. If fresh chestnuts are unavailable, roasted vacuum-packed chestnuts-sold in jars in the specialty foods section of many supermarkets-can be used. Supply crusty bread for soaking up the juices. Accompany with a radicchio and escarole salad, and uncork a Barolo.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

You can decorate all the cones the same way or do each one differently. If time is short, simply use purchased ice cream.