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5 Ingredients or Fewer

Basic French Vinaigrette

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Lemon Ice Cream

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires addtional sitting time. Carol's mom used a grater and superfine sugar when she made this recipe, but we liked the ease of grinding the zest with regular sugar in a food processor. Best of all, we never once skinned our knuckles.

Pastry Crust Dough

(PATE SUCREE) Makes plenty of dough for the Walnut Tartlets , Apple Galette or Apricot Tart .

Spicy-Sweet Kumquats

Pop one of these in your mouth for a burst of bittersweet flavor.

Farinata with Sage, Olives, and Onion

Ever since R.C Van Dyne from Wilmington, NC tasted farinata in Alessandria, Italy, he has been wanting to make it. We obtained this recipe from Rose Pistola restaurant in San Francisco, where they serve their own farinata. Farinata is a thin, crisp, pizzalike pancake made from chick-pea flour. When we called Rose Pistola, we were thrilled to learn that the recipe had already been reworked for the home cook by Peggy Knickerbocker, coauthor with chef Reed Hearon of The Rose Pistola Cookbook: 140 Recipes from San Francisco's Favorite North Beach Restaurant (out October, 1999 from Broadway Books). The following recipe makes three farinata, but they must be baked one at a time. We suggest opening a bottle of wine, hanging out in the kitchen with friends, and eating the farinata as they come out of the oven. For best results, use a 10-inch seasoned cast-iron round griddle, about 3/8-inch deep, that can hold about 1 cup batter. Farinata can be made in a regular cast-iron skillet, but it won't be quite as crisp or easy to remove.

Dill Mashed Potatoes with Crème Fraîche and Caviar

Crème fraîche makes these potatoes extra rich and utterly delicious.

Rum Dulce de Leche

Throughout the Spanish-speaking world, thickened sweetened milk is a regular feature at dessert time (and, like all treats, whenever Mom isn’t looking). Though not difficult to make from scratch on top of the stove, the use of condensed milk eliminates the need for constant stirring. Be sure to check the water level in the pan about halfway through cooking; if it’s low, carefully add a little more.

Boiled Lobsters with Tarragon Butter

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Campanelle Pasta with Parsley Butter

The same parsley butter (which can be prepared three days ahead) seasons the pasta and the broccoli rabe served alongside.

Peaches and "Skyr"

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but may require additional sitting time.

Sourdough Toasts with Smoky Tomato Confit

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Oranges in Cardamom Syrup

Serve the oranges alone or alongside a wedge of angel food cake or pound cake.

Buttery Mashed Potatoes

This recipe is an accompaniment for Shepherd's Pie. Using the microwave makes cooking the potatoes especially easy.

Collard Greens and Turnips with Ham Hock and Pepper Vinegar

As all southerners know, eating Hoppin' John—black-eyed peas and rice—on New Year's Day ensures good luck. But it is the collards, traditionally eaten alongside, that bring good fortune! An added bonus to cooking up a mess o' greens is the resultant pot liquor—the delicious, nutritious broth left in the bottom of the cooking pot or serving dish. It is usually served as an accompaniment to that last piece of corn bread.

Sausages with Black Grapes

Salsicce con l'Uva While this dish makes for excellent dinner fare, I personally prefer it served on a crusty roll for lunch along with a glass of Chianti Colli Aretini.... If you don't have good crusty bread on hand, make a few mashed potatoes while these sausages are roasting in the oven.

Purple Potatoes with Sour Cream and Caviar

For a Fourth of July theme, top these bluish purple potatoes with salmon or red lumpfish roe. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min
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