Alcohol

Sortilège is a blend of Canadian whiskey and maple syrup. Here it infuses the chestnuts with maple flavor and picks up the sweetness of the green beans. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr

Serve with: Buttered noodles and steamed Swiss chard. Dessert: A bakery Linzertorte.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Pistachio Blancmanges . Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 12 hr Before you start this recipe, make sure there's room in your refrigerator for a 24-inch fish poacher and a 25-inch platter.

A hearty combination of textures and flavors.

Surprise — a bit of ketchup helps the sweet and tart flavors blend. Make this up to three days ahead.

If you can't find fresh fava beans, use edamame (fresh green soybeans in the pod). You'll need to buy two pounds to yield the 3/4 cup for the recipe; do not peel. What to drink: Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Spanish white made from Albariño grapes.

Le Cirque's elegant take on roast chicken.

An easy and innovative first-course salad.

For ice pops without alcohol, use pineapple juice instead of rum.

When WABC-TV visited gourmet's test kitchens several months ago, the cameraman, Fred Mason of Teaneck, New Jersey, said we had to try his Bermuda fish chowder. He usually makes it for a crowd—you should double the recipe if you want to serve this robust fish stew at a party. Though cooking seafood for a long time may seem unusual, it is traditional for a Bermuda-style chowder, and we think you'll agree with Mason (and with us) that this chowder is first-rate. The special pepper sauce that completes the dish will transport you to the island. In Bermuda, fish chowder is spiked with local rum—usually Gosling's Black Seal. And the finishing touch is Sherry pepper sauce, a Bermudian condiment. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

For this clever riff on the "frozen" Margarita, try to use natural lime pops (sold at natural and specialty foods stores) rather than artificially colored and flavored varieties.

Sfratti means "sticks" in Italian, as well as "evicted," for at one time landlords were allowed to persuade unwanted and delinquent tenants to leave by force of a rod. A similar practice was employed to chase away Jews during all-too-frequent periods of expulsion. This nut-filled cookie, a popular Italian Rosh Hashannah treat, got its name from its resemblance to a stick, the Jewish sense of humor transforming an object of persecution into a sweet symbol.

Debra L. Warren of Lake Forest, Illinois, writes: "I have often indulged in Jay Lovell's phenomenal cuisine at his Lovell's of Lake Forest restaurant, and the ribs he prepared for an event I attended were out of this world. Could you possibly persuade the chef to share the recipe?" The espresso powder gives the sauce great depth of flavor.

The more succulent the berries, the better. The cake layers absorb the juices, which is why this cake must be assembled at least 8 hours before serving.