Salmon

A quick yet elegant pasta dish.

Use leftover poached or baked salmon. Canned red salmon that has been drained, skinned and boned also does the trick.

Called Goldie Lox at Sarabeth's restaurant in New York, this delicious dish gets its name from the golden color of the eggs, which are combined with the lox. There are pockets of cream cheese throughout this savory mixture, the key to creating them is keeping the cheese cold until it is folded into the eggs. Be sure to have plenty of coffee and an assortment of teas on hand to complete the meal.

Pasta, a recent addition to the Irish culinary repertoire, is fast becoming a favorite. At Longueville House in Mallow, Ireland, ravioli is taken to refined heights in this dish, which is served as an appetizer. They make it with large rounds of homemade pasta, but store-bought gyoza wrappers are a good substitute.

Salmon fillets can be substituted for the char. For a shortcut version of the horseradish cream, just mix 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream with prepared white horseradish to taste.

Purchased phyllo pastry is used here instead of a regular pie crust for quick and easy assembly. This tart is best when served at room temperature.

A salad of baby greens and raspberry vinaigrette and some pencil-thin breadsticks go well with the pasta. End the dinner with orange sherbet, Swedish butter cookies and, perhaps, a shot of aquavit.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. We found this pasta just as delicious without the salmon.

This is a very quick recipe to make; just remember to start marinating the salmon the day ahead. You can easily half or double the amounts.

The chef serves this salmon over a salad of romaine hearts, artichoke hearts, radishes, green beans, cucumber, potatoes, celery, scallion, olives, tomatoes, and basil with a dressing of lime juice and olive oil.

Offer some fresh strawberries for dessert.

In this delicious dish from Asterix & Obelix, the orzo is toasted before it's cooked, giving the pasta a nice nutty flavor.

"I made this recipe in a cooking class I taught here in Vancouver, and the crowd was so pleased they gave me a standing ovation," says Sylvia Molnar of Vancouver, British Columbia. "It's a gorgeous dish that's even better served with lemon-scented rice or potatoes." Garnish with dill sprigs, if desired.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Round out this collection of sophisticated hors d'oeuvres with oysters on the half shell and purchased chicken liver pâté accompanied by crackers. Chilled Champagne and dry Martinis are perfect with these easy appetizers.

For a nice accompaniment to the fish, try steamed baby red potatoes and a crunchy cucumber and snow pea salad. Think ahead for dessert: Grill some thick pineapple slices before you cook the salmon; after the meal, top the pineapple with tropical fruit sorbet (such as mango) and a generous splash of rum.