Salmon

A green salad is all you need to make this pasta — its creaminess sharpened with a touch of horseradish — into a complete dinner. When shopping, it's helpful to know that egg noodles are usually sold coiled into small nests.

Veracruz-style mixed seafood is the centerpiece of a festive meal that's rounded out with rice and vegetables. To present it as pictured, mound the seafood salad over the Mexican Rice and surround with the Tricolor Vegetable Sauté . A piquant dressing is drizzled over the seafood and mixed into the rice.

At the restaurant, these are called truffles and are served on mixed greens with a watercress vinaigrette, but they are also excellent presented on their own as hors d'oeuvres.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

We prefer wild salmon for this recipe because it has a milder flavor and is more environmentally friendly than farmed varieties. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

Suzanne Rackley of San Rafael, California, writes: "My husband and I had a fabulous dinner at Cobalt in New Orleans. I had the salmon with Martini sauce, and it was great. I would love to impress my friends and family with a new way to serve our favorite fish."

Accompany this colorful dish with rice pilaf and baby peas with pearl onions. The kicker: spice bars and orange slices.

Barquettes are small, boat-shaped pastry shells that can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 25 min

Côtelettes de Saumon Frais Dorigny Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

Be sure to use the whipped cream cheese sold in tubs—it will give this dip a smooth, light texture—and not the regular cream cheese in blocks. If the dip seems a little salty, just serve it with unsalted chips.

An elegant, portable entrée. Baby greens with vinaigrette would round out the menu nicely. What to drink: A lightly oaked Chardonnay.

Start the gravlax at least two days in advance (the sauce can also be prepared ahead of time, leaving just quick assembly on the day of the party). What to drink: Champagne (or sparkling wine) is a classic aperitif, and versatile enough to pair nicely with the salmon's slightly sweet mustard sauce as well as with the rich Foie Gras and Cream Eggs .

(Saumon Confit à l'Huile d'Olive, Petite Salade de Roquettes, Vinaigre de Balsamique) The idea to confit salmon is not original to me but one gleaned from kitchen gossip where recipes and experiments from chefs all over the world are discussed. I learned that many chefs were slowly cooking fish in duck fat but I thought that since salmon is so fatty to begin with, it would be better served if it was slowly cooked in something other than animal fat. Copper River salmon is my first choice for this dish but if it isn't available look for Alaska salmon. Both of them are very fatty and the fat really does make a difference as it ensures a very smooth texture in the finished dish.