Beverages

The parfaits can be made a day ahead.

Honey, cinnamon, vanilla and orange slices spice up the wine marinade in this low-fat fruit dessert. Transport it in an airtight plastic container, and serve it in bowls.

Italian fruitcakes with Frangelico chocolate sauce If you don't have the mini Bundt molds called for, oversize muffin cups (about one-cup capacity) can be used instead. Begin preparing this at least a week ahead.

An easy homemade barbecue sauce makes anything you grill taste even better! Makes lots since it keeps for weeks in the refrigerator.

This granita is not particularly sweet and is best served as a first or intermezzo course. Try it on top of raw oysters or thick tomato slices.

The divine lamb dish featured here is a perfect example of the excellent food served at El Olivo. This romantic restaurant, in a restored olive-oil mill, is a great spot to wine and dine someone special — the many wax-drenched candelabra are very nice touches. Service is impeccable, friendly, and attentive, including a sommelier at the ready to pair Spanish wines with the delicious local cuisine. El Olivo is one of three restaurants located in La Residencia, a beautiful resort in the western Majorca town of Deià. Serve this refined Spanish dish as they do at the restaurant, with sautéed purple potatoes, mushrooms, baby carrots, and broccoli.

Serve crusty bread and a chilled Pinot Grigio throughout the meal. Beer would be fun, too.

Capers lend tangy contrast to the sweet bell peppers. Serve the stew over egg noodles

The tea adds an elegant complexity to the sauce for the pears, dried apricots, and cherries. Using dried tart cherries instead of Bing cherries helps balance the sweetness.

Kirsch, a cherry-flavored liqueur, brings out the flavor of the raspberries rather than masking it.

Cranachan is Scotland's traditional harvest-time pudding, a blend of Crowdie (an artisanal cottage cheese), cream, toasted oats, berries, whisky, and honey. Here, it's updated with crème fraîche (instead of the Crowdie), toasted hazelnuts, and grated chocolate, and served parfait-style in individual goblets. To allow the flavors to meld, assemble the parfaits ahead of time and chill them overnight before serving.

The butter is also delicious over scallops. Serve the dish with steamed rice.