Truffle

Truffle oil and minced black truffles make this appetizer anything but kid food.

Truffles add luxurious appeal, but the ravioli are fantastic without them.

Truffles are pressure-cooked during the canning process, which causes them to release some of their water content. Using just a bit of this truffle juice in a vinaigrette will impart a delicious woodsy flavor.

If you use canned truffles and plan to serve these omelets with the mesclun salad with truffle vinaigrette , be sure to save any juice for the dressing.

Requiring just a few ingredients and minimal cooking, this hors d'oeuvre is the epitome of elegant simplicity.

Magret duck breasts come from Moulard ducks; you can also use smaller Muscovy duck breasts. Both are available at some supermarkets or at dartagnan.com.

Fresh black truffles are worth the splurge. They are available at some specialty foods stores and from Urbani Truffles (215-699-8780; urbanitruffles.com). Black truffles in jars are sold at specialty foods stores and Italian markets; the most flavorful are European winter black truffles.

Truffles add a flavorful woodsy note, but if you make this French-influenced celery-root purée without them, it will still be delicious.

In this classic French dish, a veal roast is sliced and layered with a combination of soubise (onion) and duxelles (mushroom) stuffings, then put back together in the shape of the roast. Traditionally, it's covered with more stuffing and heavily coated with a Mornay sauce (which glazes the roast as it's heated in the oven). In our updated version, we keep the soubise and duxelles separate and arrange them side by side — black contrasting with white — on each veal slice, so the stuffings are visible. We use only a very thin coating of Mornay to glaze the dish, and serve the rest on the side.

The following dish was a popular choice for bridge luncheons in the 1960s.

Each serving is baked en papillote, or wrapped individually in parchment paper to lock in steam for a more succulent result.

Le Cirque's elegant take on roast chicken.

The truffle oil is not essential, but it's a nice indulgent touch. Since the oil's flavor dissipates with heat, add the oil to this first-course soup just before serving.

Côtelettes de Saumon Frais Dorigny Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

This recipe is an accompaniment for Crown of Shrimp with Truffle Sauce .