Cheese

This variation on basic polenta incorporates fresh corn just off the cob.

In keeping with the Greek flavor of this dish, James partners it with orzo, a rice-shaped pasta popular in Greek cooking.

This spicy appetizer is perfect for a last-minute party.

You'll need two dozen lemon leaves or camellia leaves to make the chocolate decoration. If you don't have unsprayed leaves from your own or a friend's garden, get them from a florist.

In this classic French dish, a veal roast is sliced and layered with a combination of soubise (onion) and duxelles (mushroom) stuffings, then put back together in the shape of the roast. Traditionally, it's covered with more stuffing and heavily coated with a Mornay sauce (which glazes the roast as it's heated in the oven). In our updated version, we keep the soubise and duxelles separate and arrange them side by side — black contrasting with white — on each veal slice, so the stuffings are visible. We use only a very thin coating of Mornay to glaze the dish, and serve the rest on the side.

Bettina says that this recipe is one of her delicious and dependable standbys.

Made with bacon, cream and Parmesan cheese, this resembles the spaghetti dish of the same name.

These cakes are actually better made ahead. They become richer and fudgier one to two days after baking.

Top the grown-ups' burgers with the caramelized onions with barbecue sauce and be sure to have mayonnaise and mustard on hand. Serve corn on the cob and the baked potato wedges to the whole crowd.

Potsticker wrappers are a quick substitute for the homemade dough used at the Chelsea Grill.

We use this dressing with our Onion-Crusted Fried Chicken Salad, but it's great, too, as a dip with pieces of fried chicken, vegetables, or best of all, with fried frogs' legs. It's a real thick dressing that gets even thicker when chilled.

The olive oil-and-cheese dressing is a nice alternative to drawn butter.

A full-bodied Zinfandel would stand up well to the spicy chilies. Or offer frosty glasses of cold Mexican beer.