Dairy

Chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, and chocolate mousse team up with fruit in this incredible dessert. Begin making the cake one day ahead. Enjoy the extra mousse later.

We adapted this from the recipe for Supper Onion Pie, in the "Savoury Pies" section of Nigella Lawson's _How to Be a Domestic Goddess._We played with the crust to make it lighter and substituted a yellow onion for the red ones (they turned an unappetizing mauve). We love the way Lawson's books are written—and agree she's got some great ideas—but we think you should know you may need to tinker with the recipes before they yield dishes that appeal to an American palate.

The classic Hungarian dish relies on sour cream both to thicken the sauce and to balance the heat of the paprika.

These hearty mushrooms, from Il Radicchio in Washington, D.C., are a stellar start to the meal.

The contrasting colors of these two beets are especially attractive in this dish but you may substitute any others.

Serve this with a basket of crusty bread.

Called panadas, these little pastries make wonderful hors d'oeuvres.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Mocha custards are the "coffee" part of this whimsical "coffee and doughnuts" dessert.

An easy version of the famous Cobb salad.

Creamy fresh cheese meets spinach in this Indian classic.

Purchased wonton wrappers stand in for fresh pasta in this easy recipe.

Rosemary Leicht of Bethel, Ohio, writes: "I've been a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off three times, so I'm something of an expert at cooking with prepared doughs and bread mixes. Even though these items are simple to use, many people don't venture beyond the package directions. For each contest, I experimented with dozens of recipes, and some of my favorites have been breakfast dishes and desserts. Nowadays I don't enter as many competitions as I used to, but my family still looks forward to my latest creations." A quick breakfast using prepared dough.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 2 hr