Gourmet

This is best eaten the day it's made — left to sit longer, the cake can get a bit soggy from the fruit.

We seasoned this salad — based on the Middle Eastern bread salad called fattoush — with za'atar, a mixture of salt, sumac, sesame, and thyme.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 8 1/2 hr (includes chilling)

There are several varieties of mustard cabbage; for this recipe we used wrapped-heart mustard cabbage, also called swatow or dai gai choy. Sharp and pungent when raw, mustard cabbage sweetens and mellows with wilting and slow cooking. Try serving this dish with mashed potatoes, which go very well with the gravylike tomato sauce the stuffed cabbage is cooked in.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"One night when friends were coming over for cocktails, I wanted to make some hors d'oeuvres," says Amy Sue Keck of San Diego, California. "Though most tapenades I've tasted have been made with black olives and anchovies, I only had green olives in my cabinet—and no anchovies! So I added some toasted almonds instead, and my green "tapenade" was a hit. I still make it this way."

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The following recipe calls for semiboneless quail. This means that the rib cage and backbone have been removed, but the wings and legs are left intact.

The nutty, slightly spicy flavor of the sweet red wine works well with the berries in this dish. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min