Shellfish

Here is a light and festive way to introduce a holiday meal. This elegant soup goes very well with Champagne.

These sophisticated crab quesadillas need only six minutes of stove time. Citrus, green onions and Monterey Jack cheese provide delicate flavor; when teamed with a salad, the quesadillas make a light and lovely meal. Pour a dry Gewürztraminer, and finish with melon accented with fresh mint.

A simple dish from the Cottage Inn, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve this lovely dish with Champagne.

With steamed asparagus and some rice or mashed potatoes, this easy dish is elegant enough for company.

Corsica's finest dishes feature fresh seafood. Here's an uncomplicated and delicious example.

Serve this stew over rice or on its own as a soup. Either way, sprinkle lettuce with rice vinegar and oriental sesame oil for a light salad. Sliced blood oranges and holiday cookies will do nicely afterward.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

To go with the crispy oysters, place sliced beets on a bed of frisée and top with balsamic dressing, crumbled blue cheese and toasted walnuts. Finish with wedges of angel food cake and caramel sauce.

My mother had no interest in cooking, but did what she could to get a nutritious dinner on the table with the least possible effort. The concept of a "recipe" was virtually unknown to her. Most nights, dinner was composed of exactly one item from each of the four food groups, for example: a baked potato, boiled peas, broiled chicken, and ice cream. No two ingredients touched each other until they got to our plates. We always had plenty of shrimp in the house (my father was a seafood importer), so my mother took advantage of this food supply by keeping bowls of boiled shrimp with ketchup and horseradish in the refrigerator. Then, on special nights, my mother would give it all she had and make what we called a "dish." We celebrated her efforts at combining ingredients, but the results were never worth the wait.

With the endive leaves arranged in concentric circles on the platter, this is an especially attractive addition to the buffet table.

Serve this appealing hors d'oeurve with cut-up fresh vegetables and breadsticks.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. The coconut milk can be found in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets.

Accompanied by Champagne, this beautiful and delicious appetizer starts the meal on a sophisticated note.