Soufflé

For an elegant dinner, just add a salad of Bibb lettuce and Belgian endive with walnut-oil vinaigrette, and pass a basket of warm French bread. A purchased apple tart makes a lovely finale.

This terrific combination is very nice with baked ham.

The soufflés can be baked once and served immediately in their own dishes, or they can be made ahead, unmolded and baked again before serving, making them ideal for entertaining. Cucina—in London, England—sets the twice-baked soufflés on a bed of mixed greens tossed with a light vinaigrette.

You can make the soufflés 4 hours ahead (keep at room temperature). Put in a 375°F oven for 8 minutes to reheat. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr When Craig Claiborne accepted an invitation to a hunt breakfast in Virginia, he didn't understand that riding a horse would be part of the deal. He found the experience hair-raising but furnished us with a delightful account of that weekend — along with this fluffy rendition of the South's beloved grits. It makes a good side dish to almost any meat — especially ham, of course.

Be sure to serve the aromatic sauce with each portion of soufflé. The sauce can be prepared one day before the soufflé is made.

At The Lakefront restaurant, this sensational dessert is served with bittersweet chocolate sauce or a simple dusting of cocoa powder and a few fresh strawberries.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Jacqueline Willis of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, "Recently I had a superb chocolate soufflé at the Ercole Ristorante Italiano in Calgary. It was made with milk chocolate — a subtle but delicious variation. I would love to be able to re-create it for friends at home. " The restaurant calls this dessert a warm chocolate mousse, but it reminds us of soufflé. These may collapse quickly after coming out of the oven, so wait until each person has been served before topping with ice cream.