Herbs & Spices

This recipe is an adaptation of a rolled omelet from Gostilna Devetak, a trattoria in Friuli, Italy, which we featured in our October 1997 issue.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In this dish, the richness of the venison is balanced by the sweet-tart fruit compote.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This sauce is really just another variant of Hollandaise, but it is sufficiently famous to be dignified with a separate heading. The sauce calls classically, for a variety of fresh herbs which may be difficult to obtain. Adequate substitutes and dried herbs solve the problem. The only real problem is tarragon. Do not use dried tarragon. If you cannot obtain fresh tarragon, use tarragon packed in vinegar.

The French dessert that's known as clafouti is a pancake crossed with a fruit-filled custard. It's best served warm, right from the skillet. If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, any ovenproof variety is fine. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(BRACIOLE DI VITELLO AL ROSMARINO) Romagna is famous for its grilled foods, and the aroma of meats sizzling over a wood fire is common in the countryside. Try this with a local dry red wine such as Sangiovese di Romagna or Gutturnio.

An interesting mix of spices lends wonderful flavor to this simple pasta dish — known as pastitsada — from Tavern Tripa.

Spicy Szechuan dishes were quite the thing in the seventies; around that time, pasta was also coming into its own. This recipe features ingredients that are widely available in the Asian foods section of most markets. If you like, add snow peas and sliced red bell pepper for some crunch.

Today, Mexico's best coffee is ripened and dried along the roadways in the cloud-blanketed highlands of Chiapas and over through Veracruz and Oaxaca. The prime beans are usually roasted a little darker than ours — almost a Viennese roast — and they brew a nice, medium-bodied liquid with some spunk. They tell me it's the second-class beans that get roasted darker, to a mahogany black with a shining sugar coat. The steam-powered espresso machines in the city cafeterías extract a trio of ethnic brews: espresso, straight, foamy and Italian; café con leche, mixed with hot milk, French-style (but so common one would mistake it for purely Mexican); or americano, simply diluted with water. The more rural brew leans toward the Spanish, the history books say, but it seems like a Mexican-flavored campfire version to me. Café de olla at its best is pot-boiled in earthenware with molassesy piloncillo sugar and spices like cinnamon, anise or cloves. These days, many traditional city restaurants offer the dark, delicious drink more regularly, served in old-fashioned earthenware mugs at the end of the meal.

"I had the pleasure of dining at Bacco restaurant during one of my many visits to New Orleans," writes Scott J. Grande of Ormond Beach, Florida. "It's run by Ralph Brennan, who is a gracious and accommodating host. The pork tenderloin on escarole that I had for dinner was delicious; I hope you'll be able to get the recipe for my collection." Bacco is one of eight New Orleans restaurants run by members of the Brennan family. At Bacco, this pork tenderloin is served with garlicky mashed potatoes.

(GLACES AUX TROIS PARFUMS) These lavender, honey-saffron and nougat ice creams show off true Provençal flavors.