5 Ingredients or Fewer

Midweek suggestions are thick-cut fries, sautéed mushrooms and peppermint-stick ice cream. For a touch of glamour, begin with Champagne and caviar, offer roasted potatoes and spinach soufflé with the steak, and have chocolate truffles afterward.

Celery root gives the potatoes an intriguing new taste; mascarpone cheese provides the ultimate in creaminess.

These steaks would be great served with the Endive Salad . Tip steak is from the round, which is a tougher muscle and has less marbling than other cuts of beef. It should be cooked rare to medium-rare for maximum flavor and juiciness.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe originally accompanied Strawberry Basket Cake .

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cranberries are cultivated in Canada, and tradition there calls for hosts to make a punch for Christmas guests. Here, the crop and the custom merge in a delightful champagne cocktail, which takes a French turn with the addition of crème de cassis.

Preserving a Meyer lemon captures its glorious perfume. We’ve adapted cookbook author Paula Wolfert’s quick method, our favorite, and made it even faster by blanching the lemons first. The rind of a preserved lemon is a common ingredient in Moroccan dishes; we also love it in all kinds of soups, stews, and salads and as a low-fat alternative to olives. Save the pulp for Bloody Marys or anything else enlivened by a little lemon juice and salt.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 hr.

Prepared pesto is put to delicious use in this easy and elegant appetizer.