A universal hit

Le Pain Quotidien in New York was our favorite place for breakfast when Jessica and I visited to see “The Gates” installation in Central Park by Cristo. We still remember the wonderful crusty bread served with topping of fresh mozarella, pesto, and black olive tapenade.

Don’t be put off by the agave syrup, which I found in the health food store and is extremely expensive, honey could easily be used as a substitute. Also, I didn’t have Spike seasoning and used Emeril’s instead. In fact, you could go without either one and I don’t think it would make that much difference. This recipe was a hit at my dinner party.

It’s hard to make this look good, but it is extremely tasty. The trick is not to let the outside get too dark before the chicken is done.

I fancy myself a part-time gourmet, so jello salad is the last thing I would want to bring to a party. But every time I bring this one, everybody loves it. The salty pretzels topped by the cream cheese and sweet strawberries add a colorful touch to a buffet.

This is an absolutely foolproof, fluffy, perfect quiche recipe!

So satisfying on a cold winter’s night

Mike and Georg had this dessert while we were on vacation in Vieques (Puerto Rico). I came home and found the recipe online and was surprised at how easy it is to prepare. The biggest trick is unmolding it without breaking it. I run a hot knife around the rim and dip the cups into hot water for a few seconds. Tip onto dessert plates and top with fresh raspberries and a drizzle of raspberry puree.

I’ve been making this most of my adult life. The recipe came out of the Italian Time Life Foods of the World series. It is supposedly an authentic northern recipe and uses homemade pasta. I use the dry cannelloni noodles. Buy more than you need and boil them gently. Some of them will break when you are filling them, so you will need extras. You can omit the chicken livers, but they do add a nice touch and no one will know they are there. This has been one of my tried and true dinner party hits. Like other pasta recipes it can be made in advance and put in the oven a couple hours before. This is rich, so most won’t have more than two cannelloni, when served with salad and rolls as part of a dinner party.

Better than plain tiramisu, using sponge cake layers, rather than ladyfingers.