French

The duck leg confit brings added richness to the bisque, but the soup is also delicious without it.

I made these cookies for my son's class at school as part of France's annual week of taste, or semaine du gout. The idea was to show how sweet and salty flavors complement each other.

An easy sparkling wine cocktail, made with a touch of black currant liqueur.

Lovely for lunch or with a salad for dinner.

(Pistachio Wafers Layered with Strawberries and Cream)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Even though purists protested, a variety of ingredients were used to flavor the classic French custard. And in all its incarnations, it became the fin-de-siécle way to end a swanky restaurant meal.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

If you love cheesecake, try this classic French dessert.

The traditional French "Christmas log" is accompanied by meringue mushrooms; the ones here—formed out of marzipan (a paste made from almonds, sugar and egg whites)—are much easier to do. Look for marzipan at specialty foods stores and in the baking products section of supermarkets.

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.