Easter

Great with: Grilled rib-eye steak.

Baby spinach can stand in for the mâche.

If you're making this entire menu in a single oven, we recommend baking the yuca gratin ahead; while it cooks, brown the lamb and coat with the sauce and farofa. When the gratin comes out of the oven, the lamb can go in. (The gratin will stay warm while the lamb bakes and stands.)

Sliced strawberries infuse raspberry brandy with fresh berry flavor, and the strained liqueur is topped off with Champagne.

Root vegetables were often used to lend sweetness to eighteenth-century cakes and puddings. The carrot cake layers in this recipe are sandwiched with marmalade and iced with a cream cheese frosting.

Madeira, shiitake mushrooms and hot pepper sauce make the gravy in this dish from Jack Fry's something special. It's great for brunch.

To prevent fingerprints or smudges, wear thin cotton gloves* while handling the eggs.

For many Southerners the holidays wouldn't be the same without coconut cake. Because coconuts can be difficult nuts to crack — especially for cooks new to the task — we offer an easy method that involves baking the coconut briefly (which does not alter the coconut's flavor appreciably). If the coconut doesn't crack while in the oven, it will once force is applied.

Scaffata This is a wonderful Roman spring dish that can be made when peas and favas in their shells are young and sweet. The name comes from the word scaffare — "to shell" in Roman dialect. It is especially good when served with roasted spring lamb or goat. The outermost, less tender leaves of a head of romaine, which you may not want to use in a salad, are perfect for this dish.

This is a surefire Southern way to use leftover ham and either leftover or freshly baked biscuits. Sometimes the biscuits are large and the ham pieces merely roughly cut chunks. In this recipe the biscuits are made the size of silver dollars, the ham is thinly sliced and neatly trimmed, and the biscuits are served with tiny dollops of spicy mustard and freshly grated horseradish. Voilà! The "grab 'em and go" breakfast treat that has been imitated by many popular food chains is transmuted into an elegant hors d'oeuvre. Large or small, they're mighty good eating. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Silver dollar - size biscuits are the quintessential African-American breakfast bread. They can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe was created to accompany Crown Roast of Lamb . Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Neapolitan in origin, this make-ahead savory pie is delicious either warm or at room temperature.

Round out the menu with sliced radicchio, fennel and roasted bell pepper salad; crisp flatbread; and apricot sorbet with cookies.

You can use frozen baby lima beans (with the same delicious result) instead of the fresh favas, which are harder to find.

Jamie Oliver This dish was created by my mum, Sally Oliver, on the occasion of the birth of her second granddaughter, Daisy Boo Oliver. Be sure the rhubarb you use is nice and juicy, and lay it, pretty side down, over the syrup so it looks nice when you take the cake out of the pan.