Parmesan

A radicchio and fennel salad with red wine vinaigrette adds color and crunch, and warm focaccia rounds out the entrée. End the meal with poached pears and biscotti.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At Valentino, this is prepared with fresh pasta. Wonton wrappers make a convenient substitute.

This gratin makes a simple accompaniment to roast chicken, pork or even baked eggs.

A tangy tomato-herb sauce and Parmesan accent chicken that's cooked in a flash.

This do-ahead main-course strata is simply a savory bread pudding. Pour a Pinot Blanc or Viognier throughout the meal.

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

These no-bake bites can be made two hours ahead and are designed to taste best at room temperature, making them perfect for parties.

Although they no longer remember who gave it to them, my parents received a fondue pot for their wedding. I have distinct memories from childhood of standing on my tiptoes, peering over the stove top and begging my mother for another chance to whisk the bubbling cheese mixture. As the cheese became thicker and thicker, we all took turns stirring. Since preparation for dinner was a family affair, fondue was a meal reserved for special occasions.

Elisa Mazzaferro-Rosenberg of Fort Collins, Colorado, writes: "I love to entertain, but between coming home late — I just completed my Ph.D. in small animal clinical sciences — and feeding my husband, Adam, and myself plus our little family of five cats and two dogs, I haven't had the time to have friends over much."

Deidre A. Pallouras of Rochelle Park, New York, writes: "My husband and I recently traveled to Cincinnati, where we dined at Daveed's at 934 in Mount Adams. Although everything we ate was delicious, we were most impressed by the incredible salmon with horseradish cream. I'd love to try to recreate the dish at home."

Mark Taylor of West Hartford, Connecticut, writes: "I started cooking out of necessity when I first graduated from college, since I couldn't afford to eat out. Having grown up watching my mother cook for our large family, I used her recipes. She was always trying new dishes whenever we had guests and sharing her adventurous attitude toward eating. These days, even though my wife and I both work, we still cook several times a week. Now I tend to rely on recipes I've picked up from restaurants and friends. I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients and figuring out new ways to improve a recipe, as I've done with the one here."

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 40 min