Cheese

This recipe is based on a delicious dish made by Laura DaMiano, a Quebecois chef. She loves the flavor of butternut squash paired with Oka cheese, a mild, semisoft cow's-milk cheese. Mild Cheddar can be used as a substitute. If you are making this entire menu in a single oven, and you are not making the scalloped squash ahead, you can bake the squash while the ham is standing after braising.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's a recipe to have some fun with. Shortcakes are typically small and individually sized, but this is an impressive large cake filled with sweetened fresh fruit and whipped mascarpone. And unlike most shortcakes, this one is assembled ahead of time.

These sandwiches make a savory lunch or, served with a bowl of soup, a perfect Sunday supper. We prefer Madras curry powder for this recipe because its subtle, sweet flavor complements the apple and cheese particularly well.

Chill the orange curd overnight before using.

"For my birthday," writes Cynthia Black of Kansas City, Missouri, "my husband took me to Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale. One night we ate dinner at Top of the Rock, a restaurant at the resort. As a side dish, they served incredible cheese and jalapeño grits." This colorful side dish would be delicious with roast chicken, steak, or pork.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Offer with artichoke hearts, olives, and salami.

"I've always loved to cook and bake," writes Gert Schwartz of Skokie, Illinois. "When my husband worked for the kitchens of Sara Lee, I would bake about 2,000 cookies each Christmas to send to his coworkers. People thought it strange — sending coals to Newcastle — but at that time Sara Lee did not make cookies (I wasn't about to compete with the cheesecake operation), and everyone seemed to enjoy them. In your January 2001 issue, I read about the different cakes and had a desire to try the devil's food one, since my husband loves chocolate. I made the recipe as 24 cupcakes and decided to use a frosting recipe I have had since I was married, over 50 years ago. As a little girl, my favorite birthday cake was chocolate with white frosting, and when I took my first bite of your recipe, there I was: ten years old again. I thought you might like to have that frosting recipe." We took Mrs. Schwartz's advice and tried her almond cream cheese frosting on our devil's food cupcakes — it was delicious. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 30 min

This cheesecake is very light and fluffy, unlike more traditional cheesecakes, which are creamy and dense.

Make this the centerpiece of an hors d'oeuvre platter that includes crackers, breadsticks, cornichons, and olives.

More sophisticated than macaroni and cheese—and just as good. Use a cheese slicer to make the very thin slices of Fontina called for here.

Offer pita bread alongside.

A tangy feta and yogurt sauce is the perfect foil for these fresh-tasting latkes. They make a nice starter for a party of ten.

Rich and decadent, these are a surefire way to please a crowd. Use mushrooms that are slightly larger than bite-size because they will shrink a little when cooked. The mushrooms can be prepared the day before and then baked prior to serving.

Creamy potatoes are baked in a casserole.

This rich, creamy version of twice-baked potatoes can be assembled and refrigerated one day before the final baking.