Make Ahead

The riper the tomatoes, the better the flavor of this delicate consommé. To clarify it, we've used the traditional French method of creating an egg-white "raft," which attracts particles from the simmering broth and is then discarded. Though the consommé is served cold, it is not jellied.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

The honey is optional because some carrots are sweeter than others. Taste the salad, then decide whether to drizzle.

Every island in the Caribbean has its own version of rum punch, usually designed to highlight the virtues of the locally produced spirit. If we were cast away on a Caribbean island, we'd like to find this cooler waiting at that little palm-shaded bar on the beach. Be sure to set out beer (Red Stripe is a nice Jamaican lager), wine and soda, too.

Working on this book has taken us new places, and also back to explore taste memories from the past and from travel. Sometimes we've stumbled on childhood tastes, and sometimes we've gone looking for them. This dark gingerbread is from scribbled notes I found in an old cookbook of my mother's. I don't know where she got the recipe, but I do know that she made it regularly, especially in winter, when its rich, warm scent would draw us into the kitchen at dinnertime. Serve it as a snack or for dessert.

This variation on the classic Irish apple cake has a top and bottom crust made from a biscuit-like dough. You can cut this cake into wedges or dish it out with a spoon like a cobbler.

Scented with nutmeg, these distinctive light little cookies have been a family favorite for many years. They are easy to make, melt in your mouth, and are far better than store-bought meringue cookies.

We used chef Fergus Henderson's technique for braising duck legs so the skin sides, peeking above the liquid like "alligators in a swamp," stay crisp while the meat braises.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Peach Blackberry Pie . Try to roll out pie dough on a cold surface. If you have a little extra dough, roll it out and make a decorative cutout in the shape of a peach. Place it on the top of the pie.

Marty Rosencranz of River Vale, New Jersey, writes: "Even though I am a professional chef — at the Valley Brook Golf Club in New Jersey — when I cook at home I make dishes that are good but fast. I took two years to perfect the recipe for my chewy chocolate cookies. They're so good that they are now a signature item on the club's menu." Butterscotch chips could easily stand in for the peanut butter chips.

This is a delicious, low-maintenance alternative to traditional risotto.

If an herbes de Provence blend isn't available, use a combination of dried thyme, basil, savory, and fennel seeds. Dried porcini can be found at Italian markets, specialty foods stores, and many supermarkets.

Using frozen puff pastry for the crust makes this quiche-like tart super-easy.

Be sure to use fresh ricotta cheese from an Italian market — authentic ricotta has the rich, dense texture that's best for this recipe. Make the rolls one day ahead so the flavors can develop. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Chocolate-covered raisins turn into fudgy pockets of intense chocolate and chewy raisins in these easy brownies.