Red Wine

Rick Rodgers, cookbook author and teacher, says, "The inspiration for this recipe came to me one Thanksgiving when my friends and I were sipping mugs of mulled wine while preparing dinner. I was doing a basic cranberry sauce and tossed in a bit of the spiced wine. The result was a fabulous mix of sweet and spice—and I've been making it this way every year since."

Softer than most, this version of the flavored dessert ice is spooned rather than scraped into dishes; they should be well chilled.

To my way of thinking, the traditional way of serving hanger steak is the best. The steaks are quickly pan-roasted—they're best served medium-rare (although in France they're often served "bleu," so rare that they're almost blue and only just warm in the center)—and sauced with shallots that have been cooked to a compote's consistency with red wine and vinegar and then tossed with butter and herbs. Whether you sauce the steaks or not (sometimes small bistros in France will serve the steaks with just a spoonful of butter and some sea salt or a pot of strong mustard), I hope you'll serve them with the greatest and most classic accompaniment: pommes frites, French-fried potatoes.

There are a number of variations of this traditional Scandinavian Yuletide drink. Dry red wine, muscatel and sweet vermouth, with aquavit in place of the brandy, may be used. In another version, 2 bottles of dry red wine, preferably Bordeaux, are used with the quantity of aquavit increased to a whole bottle, which is poured over the flaming sugar.

The unusual crust is made of brioche dough.

In France, an entrecôte (literally, "between the ribs") is the most tender cut of beef; New York strips are a close equivalent. For this recipe, the steaks are quickly seared, then topped with a lighter, contemporary version of the classic sauce bordelaise made with beef marrow and red wine. What to drink: Château Poujeaux 1999 "Moulis."