White Wine

The compote is a mixture of spiced fresh and dried fruits that are cooked in white grape juice and white wine. Any leftovers are great over ice cream or with plain yogurt for breakfast. Prepare the compote and flans at least one day before you plan to serve them.

If you don't have peach brandy on hand, use additional white wine instead.

One of my favorite classic bistro dishes is steak Diane, a paragon of quick cooking that finds steak swathed in a cream sauce mightily seasoned with mustard and enhanced with cognac. The next time you feel yourself feeling those bistro pangs, try my take on steak Diane, made with chicken instead of beef, and my version of the traditional sauce with shallots and mustard. Roasted garlic mashed potatoes is a perfect accompaniment; the potatoes will soak up the sauce. Or serve it with fries and an ice-cold Belgian beer.

Healthy bonus: Fiber from tomatoes; calcium from basil and fennel

Two elements make this dish special. Usually the smaller shanks are braised, but a whole leg works just as well and looks more impressive. Also, white wine is used for the braising instead of red. What to drink: A full-bodied Zinfandel.

Goes great with: Salad of butter lettuce, radicchio, roasted pears, and toasted walnuts. What to drink: Red Burgundy or Pinot Gris.

Boneless chicken thighs give a moist result, but chicken breasts work well, too. Mix wild mushrooms with cultivated button mushrooms for a deeper flavor. Goes great with: Mashed potatoes flecked with chopped fresh parsley or tarragon. What to drink: Chardonnay or Merlot.

Goes great with: Stir-fried snow peas, green beans, sliced zucchini, and fresh basil. What to drink: New Zealand or Oregon Pinot Noir.

Zuppa di Cozze Come la Fanno a Bosa Like other coastal towns on Sardinia, Bosa also has an excellent maritime cuisine. An example is this excellent mussels soup. Two ingredients unique to it are the grated sheep's milk cheese that cooks along with the mussels, deepening their flavor, and the bread crumbs—some Sardinian cooks use couscous instead—that add texture and density to the mussel juices.

This tender chuck roast makes two meals. Most of the meat is sliced and served with onion gravy, accompanied by egg noodles, and the rest gets shredded and saved for a warm beef salad . You might want to round out the first meal with a green salad or sautéed spinach.

These mussels are a snap to prepare, and make a hearty meal when paired with a loaf of crusty bread to mop up the rich tomato broth. Be sure to buy your mussels the day you make this dish, as they don't keep well at home.

The warm vinaigrette is a pan sauce that comes together in minutes.