Simmer

Accompany the curry with rice, broccoli and a variety of condiments like peanuts, chopped green onions, chutney, raisins and chopped bell pepper.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This light soup makes a lovely first course.

This creamy rice, fragrant with lemon, makes a nice accompaniment to veal. If you like, pack the rice into half-cup custard cups and unmold onto the serving plates. Garnish with additional snipped chives, if desired.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's an updated version of the ice cream pie — a dessert popular in America for years. It has a parfait filling instead of ice cream and is assembled in a springform pan. The familiar cookie crust and fudgy topping are still part of the recipe, but the dessert is now sophisticated enough for company.

Crema catalana is a delicious custard covered with caramelized sugar. There are several Catalan chefs who take credit for having transformed this popular dessert into an ice cream. This version is served in glasses or bowls and drizzled with a creamy caramel sauce.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Sorbetto al Melone)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An all-purpose red sauce that's ideal for pasta and meatballs, lasagna, cannelloni, etc.

The herbes de Provence used in this recipes—a blend of dried marjoram, thyme, summer savory, basil, rosemary, fennel seeds and lavender—is typically found in the cooking of southern France. It can be purchased at specialty foods stores and some supermarkets in the States.

(Moroccan Chicken, Chick-Pea, and Lentil Soup) A marvelous vegetarian harira sampled at the United Nations' Delegates Dining Room--prepared by chef Mohamed Boussaoud, from the hotel La Mamounia in Marrakech--provided the inspiration for the following chicken-based version. In Morocco this soup is often made with lamb as well as chicken and is traditionally served after sundown during the month of Ramadan to break each day's fast.