Ginger

This recipe was created to accompany Ginger Cakes with Molten Chocolate Centers and Ginger Crème Anglaise.

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

"One of my favorite restaurants in Providence is Neath's," writes Emily Hughes of Tulsa, Oklahoma. "On my most recent and memorable trip, I had my preferred dessert — chocolate wontons with ginger ice cream. Can you procure this recipe from chef Neath Pal?"

To form the noodle cakes, measure them out by taking a few strands of noodles and loosely squiggling them into a tablespoon. Once you get the hang of the amount needed, you can pretty much eyeball it.

Paper clips are useful for tightly sealing these simple appetizer packages. Foil is a good substitute for the parchment. (Paper clips are not necessary with foil; just crimp the edges to seal tightly.) Be sure to discard any mussels that do not open.

Bente Birkedal-Hansen of Bethesda, Maryland, says that Azalea Restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, does a great job with catfish, serving the whole fish with an Asian-style black bean sauce. It would make an impressive main course at a dinner party. If whole catfish are difficult to get at your local supermarket, order them from the fishmonger and have the fish cleaned.

This would also be good on broiled sea bass or red snapper fillets.

Try this with grilled lamb chops, pork, or chicken.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Thai spicing brings new flavor to an avocado classic. Add more color by serving this in a large leaf of red cabbage.

This beautiful and delicious soup is served at The Kinloch Lodge Hotel.

The traditional b'stilla is an enormous pigeon or chicken pie wrapped in golden paper-thin pastry leaves. However, we made individual pies for ease of serving. The idea of meat mixed with spices and encased in pastry was brought to Morocco by Arabs from the Middle East; the delicate pastry sheets, it is thought, came specifically from Persia. Spices play a big part in Moroccan cooking. This legendary spice mixture is translated as "top of the shop."

This zesty soup is based on a chicken and curry stew popular in the South. The origin of its name is unclear, but according to one account, it was brought to Savannah in the early 1800s by a sea captain who traveled the spice route from India.

A combination of spicy, tangy and aromatic flavors, this light soup is also really satisfying.