Scallion

This is a special party dish, elegant and costly. Select large Chateaubriands of about 1 pound each per serving. Buy marrow bones and have the butcher cut them so the marrow can be extracted in one piece.

Nixon's re-establishment of relations with China led Americans to discover, among other things, that there was more to Chinese cooking than the Cantonese dishes we had all grown up with.

Jason Gareffa of Los Angeles, California, writes: "Pursuing a career in acting keeps me tremendously busy. Between my improv comedy classes, performances, auditions for film and television roles, and gigs as a DJ for weddings, I don't have a lot of extra time on my hands. But good food is important to me, especially since I need a lot of energy to stay on the go. So over the years, I've started experimenting in the kitchen. Now the other members of my improv group even like to come to my 'wrap parties' to taste my creations." Serve basmati rice (or regular white rice) on the side to complement the Indian flavors.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. We were intrigued by the flavored cooking oil, ginger soy sauce and curry paste we found in the Asian foods section of the market last year, and used them to lend flair to this quick dish. Steamed white rice is the ideal side. Use a melon baller to scoop papaya, mango and passion-fruit sorbets into pretty cups, and garnish with crisp ginger cookies.

The base of the tart is purchased puff pastry, which makes this dish — served as an appetizer at Lucques — as easy as it is delicious. With the addition of a soup, it could also be a lovely lunch or supper.

This is a big-deal dish. But the numerous steps, all easy, transform the duck into a wonder of subtle spiciness. We had this dish in Xi'an, where five-spice powder in the rub and the dipping salt were lovely touches.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Pick up a rotisserie chicken at the market, or use leftovers to keep the preparation easy.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe was created to accompany Seared Rosemary Scallops . Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

To form the noodle cakes, measure them out by taking a few strands of noodles and loosely squiggling them into a tablespoon. Once you get the hang of the amount needed, you can pretty much eyeball it.

Hash, a venerable Yankee dish, is usually made with the leftovers from Boiled Dinner (Corned Beef) or Roast Beef Dinner. In keeping with the humble origins of hash, my version of Lobster Hash uses a modest 2 ounces of lobster meat per person. Serve this as a satisfying main dish for lunch, brunch or even a hearty breakfast.

This recipe was created to accompany Roasted Salmon with Salsa Verde .

Straight from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This is one of mom's specialties for a summer lunch or dinner.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

When cooking for my college roommates years ago, I discovered that although tuna-fish casserole is consumed in millions of households, love of mother's own must be imprinted during infantile nurturing. As my friends summarily banished all my childhood favorites, I concluded that a hankering for mother's recipes could be used to distinguish genuine family from interlopers (call it genetic tasting). But I soon forgot the recipes. So, it took a call to Pam Ross, my sister and sole surviving mother in our clan, to retrieve this cholesterol-boosting pleaser from our Mom. My nieces like it, and it doesn't wear out the cook. Pam serves it with garlic mashed potatoes.

Freezing the steak for about 30 minutes makes it much easier to slice; using a grill pan is the simplest way to cook the slices.