European

This technique works best with a charcoal grill, but you can also use a gas grill as long as it has a built-in thermometer or a hole in the top for inserting the candy thermometer.

Donna Knowlton of Atlanta, Georgia, writes: "As the oldest of five children growing up in rural West Virginia, I was always helping in the kitchen. My husband is a doctor and works long hours, but we still like sharing a meal at the end of the day. I don't want to be in the kitchen late at night making something complicated, so I rely on dishes that can be ready in minutes." Donna brought back this version of the classic recipe from a trip to Athens.

"For my son's birthday, I'd like to make a pasta, sausage, and lentil dish that we both ate during an Italian vacation," writes Miriam Scott of New York, New York. "We stayed at Locanda l'Elisa, located just south of Lucca in Tuscany. The hotel's greenhouse-like restaurant, the Gazebo, served the pasta dish that was so wonderful. Could you possibly track down the recipe? " Adding some of the pasta's cooking water to this dish gives it a creamy quality.

Donovan Clark of London, England, writes: "I met chef Jean-Yves Bath a couple years ago while I was dining at his elegant Michelin one-star restaurant, Bath's, in Paris. He had renovated an old Chinese eatery near the Champs-Élysées, and it was the perfect setting to showcase the food of his native Auvergne region. The simple cheese ravioli dish I had that night was unforgettable." For a vegetarian version of this recipe, mushroom or vegetable broth could be used in place of the beef broth.

For this recipe, David Pasternack uses "unrefined" sea salt, which has no additives such as iodine or those that prevent caking, so these salts are often moist. He also told us we could coat the fish with an additive-free kosher salt. It worked nicely but required more egg whites (6 total).

The pork is marinated overnight in a salt-water brine, making it tender and flavorful. After marinating, the pork can be cooked a day ahead so that St. Patrick's Day, which falls on a Monday this year, will be stress-free.

At the restaurant, this dish is served as a starter. It would also make a great main course for four.

These parfaits (or budini — Italian for "puddings") of ultra-creamy mascarpone layered with Marsala-soaked strawberries perfectly illustrate the way of dessert in Italy: utterly simple, not too sweet, and delicious.

What to drink: Georg Breuer 1999 Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Rüdesheim Berg Rottland.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

A few years ago, the editors of Bon Appétit magazine declared braised short ribs the recipe of the year, and they asked me to create the ultimate version. Combining elements from different short rib dishes I had enjoyed at restaurants, this is the result. I have since received an amazing amount of mail from cooks who have told me that this is the most awesome meat dish they have ever encountered.

Serve this dish with French bread to get all the delicious sauce.

Mimosa in Los Angeles uses coconut milk in this version of a Breton classic.

Egg fettuccine, rather than regular durum pasta, makes all the difference in this dish. It's usually sold curled in nests or loose in trays. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 45 min

"This is one of my favorite pastas," Lisa Bonacossi said, citing its simplicity. "it is made with lemons, pine nuts, and oil that everyone has on hand." The flavors are simple and brilliant. The sauce is best served with fresh tagliatelle. I serve it with lemon wedges too for those who like to squeeze a bit of fresh juice over the pasta. Serve this with a well-chilled Pinot Grigio for a nice, bright combination.

The Spanish sauce known as romesco is usually high in fat; this version contains less oil, but just as much flavor.