Poultry

Plenty of black pepper is what makes this simple chicken dish so good. It's also terrific cooked on a grill. Pour your favorite Chianti.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At the restaurant the chef uses a rich duck stock when preparing this dish. Duck-and-veal demiglace is substituted here. The duck breasts as well as the demiglace are available at many butchers and specialty foods shops.

Rice sticks turn up in soups in many parts of Asia. This recipe was inspired by an aromatic soup offered at Bo Ky, a Vietnamese noodle parlor on Bayard Street in New York City.

Cobb salad was created at the Brown Derby, which opened in Los Angeles in 1926. Owner Robert Cobb placed diced vegetables, chicken and cheese on a bed of greens, and topped it all with his French dressing. Most of the ingredients for this recipe can be found at supermarket salad bars.

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 2 1/4 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Spiced Duck Spread with Green Peppercorns)

A colorful one-dish meal with lots of flavor. If you like things spicy, use the larger amount of cayenne pepper.

Guests take part in the fun by assembling their own sandwiches with colorful roasted peppers, mixed greens, tomatoes, chipotle mayonnaise and jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese. Serve chilled sodas and iced tea.

You can turn this into a main-course salad for brunch, lunch or a warm-weather supper by simply drizzling vinaigrette over the sliced chicken and watercress.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Puréed ancho chilies lend a rich, sweet, and only mildly hot flavor to this chili. To make a hotter dish, do not remove the veins or seeds from the chilies. If anchos or similar dried chilies are not readily available, substitute one roasted and peeled red bell pepper and 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes when puréeing.