Cheese

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

We make half of this mac 'n' cheese plain, for kids, and into the other half we stir some chipotle chiles to give it a grown-up kick. Any tubular pasta will do, but we like to use cavatappi, a ridged, spiral macaroni that lends the dish a particularly festive air.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Begin the meal with chilled canned vichyssoise sprinkled with chopped fresh chives. A bowl of marinated green and black olives goes well with the salad, and a compote of the season's best fruits — berries, melon and peaches — is a nice finish.

Tender biscuits that are rich and flavorful.

Gregg Thompson of St. Joseph, Missouri, writes, "A good many years ago, my wife and I enjoyed a beefy curried mousse at Snaffles restaurant in Dublin. The recipe was published in You Asked for It in your January 1972 issue. It's a wonderful dish that I have continued to enjoy through the years, and I believe it should be resurrected." Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 8 hr This is a great hors d'oeuvre to make the night before it's served, and it's best when made with the freshest garlic you can find.

Serve this dish at the end of a meal — it's a fruit and cheese course in one. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 25 min

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Make the cheesecake up to two days before serving (it must chill at least four hours).

Uncork a bottle of hearty Chianti to go with the great Italian flavors in this new twist on a traditional tomato-sauced pizza.

These little quesadillas are made with masa rather than packaged tortillas.

(Tartelettes Feuilletées à la Rhubarbe et au Ricotta) At La Bastide Odéon, these are served with almond ice cream. Begin making the dessert one day ahead so that the rhubarb can drain overnight.