Morel Mushroom

This dish has a livelier, fresher taste than traditional risotto because the vegetables are cooked separately from the rice and then spooned over it in a rich ragout.

Try this alongside roast chicken, spoon it over toasted baguette slices as an appetizer, or top it with poached eggs for brunch.

Editor's note: This recipe is excerpted from Eric Ripert and Michael Ruhlman's book the A Return To Cooking. To read more about Ripert, click here. Here salmon is poached simply in salt water and served very rare with mushrooms and a mushroom broth, along with creamy polenta. The polenta adds a starch that the salmon needs, but it is also delicate and won't overwhelm the flavors of the fish. Mushrooms and polenta are a great classical pair, and a sturdy, satisfying match for the meaty salmon.

For a hearty meal, just add some garlic mashed potatoes to go with the chicken. The recipe doubles easily.

Although the morels add a woodsy intensity to the flavor of the consommé, they are not essential. You can substitute other dried exotic mushrooms or eliminate them altogether and simply float a thin slice of fresh white mushroom on the soup right before covering the bowl with the pastry.

This flavorful entrée is very low in fat.

At The Riviera restaurant in Dallas, this delicious main course is teamed with steamed asparagus and fingerling potatoes roasted with rosemary.

This recipe calls for giant 4 1/2- to 5-ounce prawns, which can be ordered from some specialty fish markets. If unavailable, substitute 24 large prawns.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

This classic regional dish is from Ralph Potter, chef at Darley's at Lilianfels in the Blue Ridge Mountains west of Sydney. "Wild mushrooms are so plentiful when the sun has come out after it's been raining for a few days, why not be indulgent and make a special soup out of them to celebrate the season."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.