Goat Cheese

For chicken and turkey cutlets, boneless pork chops and tenderloin, steaks, and burgers. You can't offer a series of pan sauces without a mushroom one. I have chosen shiitakes, since they sauté more quickly than other mushrooms. Rather than using cream or butter, enrich this sauce with fresh goat cheese.

Of all soufflés, this is my favorite. The enticing aroma of goat cheese is very seductive, and the little pockets of melted cheese are found treasures. Although a classic soufflé dish forms a high, puffed crown, I often bake this and other soufflés in a large shallow gratin dish instead. It still looks marvelous, it bakes more quickly, and this way there's plenty of crust for everyone.

Recipes from two New York women respected in the food business influenced this dish: In her book A Fresh Taste of Italy, Michele Scicolone (once my Brooklyn landlady) offers Spaghetti with Rubies, where the rubies are chunks of roasted beets sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. At her legendary Brooklyn trattoria Al di Là, chef/co-owner Anna Klinger serves ravioli stuffed with beets tossed in brown butter and poppy seeds. Beets, together with poppy seeds, are typical in dishes of the northern Italian regions of Friuli and Alto Adige. With all these factors in mind, I came up with my own combination of pasta with beets and poppy seeds.

This dish is particularly delicious in summer, when zucchini, peppers, and summer squash are farm-fresh. You can also pile the grilled vegetables onto crusty French bread that's been slathered in creamy chevre. Or make hors d'oeuvres by topping Crostini with slices of grilled vegetable and some crumbled chevre. The vegetables can be grilled up to 1 hour in advance; assemble just before serving.

This fall salad balances earthy, tangy, sweet, and creamy flavors.

Carrots are like a quiet but secretly remarkable child who doesn't attract much attention. Most often they're simply what you throw into a soup or a braised dish to "add a little sweetness." But it's because of that inner sweetness that they're so suited to charring on a chapa. The sugar caramelizes and produces a delicious crust. They are tossed with nutty garlic chips, peppery arugula, and creamy goat cheese.

A lovely combination of contrasting tastes: bitter greens, salty-smoky bacon, tangy goat cheese, and sweet shallots.

Ripe summer tomatoes are perfect just as they are. Simply chop them up, mix with jarred peppers and a few other ingredients, and you've got dinner. For a vegetarian supper, round out the meal with an assortment of cheeses and crackers. Craving something a little more substantial? A platter of smoked salmon, relishes, and breadsticks would be great with the soup. For dessert, offer figs drizzled with honey.

Don't be tempted to buy precrumbled goat cheese, despite the time savings—it won't melt as well.

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Kimberly Kennedy's The Art and Craft of Entertaining. For Kennedy's baby shower tips click here.

It's the possibilities in that blank crust that make pizza so much fun. Lately, we've been obsessed with white pizza. Brush the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with mozzarella, and then let the fun begin. Without the acidity of the tomato sauce to contend with, you can really experiment. In this version, asparagus adds freshness and a hit of color, goat cheese brings a creamy tang, and fingerling potatoes (yes, potatoes) round out the pie with their richness.

Most chefs don't focus on salads. Maybe that's how "chef’s salad" came to mean a pile of iceberg lettuce topped with bits of cheese, strips of cold cuts, and wedges of hard-boiled eggs. But with all the fantastic American cheeses and locally produced charcuterie available today, it's time to put the "chef" back in the chef's salad. It doesn't take long to arrange the meats and cheeses atop a bed of interesting greens, then whip up our quince dressing, drizzle—and dine.

I can't think of a better sandwich to take along to the beach, enjoy next to the pool, or keep on hand in the fridge than these wraps. The combination of olives, goat cheese, frisée, and red pepper reminds me of the Mediterranean Sea, making any summer occasion seem slightly more exotic. Thanks to the durable flour tortillas, which can hold alot of heft and moisture without soaking through and tearing, these sandwiches can be made ahead of time.

This C-food salad supplies the full RDA of infection-fighting vitamin C, which also helps you absorb iron from the octopus.

These bite-sized gems make a divine pop-in-your-mouth snack alongside a robust cup of strong black tea.

The delicate crust of this galette gets a warm spiciness from fresh sage.