Flour

This impressive dessert features two classic components: the buttery sponge cake known as genoise and the rich frosting known as ganache. Making the genoise and syrup ahead eliminates last-minute fuss. Any leftover ganache can be chilled, rolled into balls and presented as another classic: truffles.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Lemon curd, lemon-cornmeal shortcakes, blueberry sauce and fresh blueberries are teamed in a winning dessert.

A perennial favorite on both sides of the Atlantic, this raisiny bread makes fine, fragrant toast.

This recipe originally accompanied Smoked Chicken Salad on Toasted Corn Bread Triangles . The corn bread is great on its own, too.

Jalapeño chilies give this a nice spicy kick. An accompaniment to Chicken Chili Verde .

It's unusual to butter and flour the pan when making a chiffon cake, but we liked the delicate crust that resulted. Because we did it this way, the cake must be cooled, inverted, on a rack, not on a bottle (the usual procedure for chiffons), or it will fall right out of the pan! Don't be tempted to substitute lemon juice for orange juice in the recipe, as the cake will not be as tender.

(Le Gâteau de Maïs) This is an old-fashioned dish, a simple meal that Marie-Rose Sol makes often for herself and her husband, Gabriel. Farmers who have raised everything from foie gras geese to vegetables, they are semi-retired now and living by themselves, though not far from their children. For Marie-Rose that means cooking for two, something that she’s never quite gotten used to. "When I make this, I still make almost as much as I did when the family was here, and we eat it all, with salad!" she says. This dish, which is like a crisp corn pancake, is wonderful in late winter when the weather's still cold but no longer biting. Marie-Rose makes it when she wants something delicious that takes little effort. "Besides, this is one of Gabriel's favorite things," she says. It's simple and somewhat unusual, like a dessert but treated as a vegetable. There is very little batter to cover the apples, so the result is light and crisp. Don’t be afraid to bake the cake until it is just this side of burned on the edges and golden in the center, Serve it immediately upon removing it from the oven. You'll see that it goes perfectly with a garlicky salad! Try a simple Bergerac with this.

Pla Phad Phrik Khing The pummelo salad makes a nice first course with this dish.

Also try this with scrambled eggs, omelets or a big bowl of chili.

Figs' — of Boston, MA — farinata is very similar to Niçois socca, chickpea-flour cakes with a distinct, nutty flavor. Serve the wedges alongside any green salad.