Brunch

Traditionally served with tea in the afternoon, scones are lovely at brunch, too.

At the restaurant, the hash comes with eggs, served either poached or over easy.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A yellow pepper purée gives these egg white omelets color and tenderness without adding fat.

Capirotada The cheese in this recipe melts into the pudding and contributes more texture than flavor.

Chickpea fritters laced with rosemary are common in parts of France and Italy. For a terrific side dish that serves eight, top these latkes with a quick sauce made by stirring two tablespoons dried mint into one cup plain yogurt, and offer with fish. Or drizzle the latkes with pomegranate molasses (found at Middle Eastern markets and some supermarkets), and serve with meat or poultry.

Anadama bread, a traditional New England yeast bread made with cornmeal and molasses (said to have been created by a woman from Massachusetts named Anna), is the inspiration for the following muffins. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 45 min

Tartines de Caviar à la Crème Aigre Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

A spoonful of this classic compound butter, known as maître d'hôtel butter, makes an instant sauce for anything from grilled steak to sautéed chicken to steamed vegetables. It can also be stirred into soups and stews.

This frittata is a marriage of ideas gleaned from two similar dishes tasted in the Piedmont: a delicious zucchini and herb "frittela" at the restaurant Guido in Costiglioli d'Asti and a spinach "frittatini" (both were miniature frittate) at the humble but superb Osteria dell'Unione in Treiso.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Forget the usual chopped liver. This rustic appetizer is an Italian treat. Spiedini are skewers of any combination of foods — bread, cheeses, meatballs, fish — that can be grilled or roasted.