Wine

Sweet early strawberries in their prime and a good bottle of fruit-forward red wine — you just can't go wrong with the simple combination of these two stellar ingredients.

Erin Franzman of New York City, writes: "After reading that duck was part of the Aztec diet, I put it in this simple, hearty tortilla soup for an unexpected, rich twist." Corn tortillas add both body and crunch to this filling dish. Try sliced avocado on top for a splash of cool, vibrant flavor.

You'll need to start marinating the meat at least a day ahead. It can be cooked up to 2 days in advance of serving.

Let guests mix their own Bellinis — it's a great ice-breaker, and allows everyone to custom-blend their drinks.

Ask your fishmonger to skin the salmon fillets for you.

Brunch isn't really brunch without sparkling cocktails. This is an almond-flavored take on the classic.

Selma Hurwitz of Potomac, Maryland, writes: "I'm an artist, which helps explain why I think cooking is very creative. You can't be afraid to experiment in the kitchen. I often get ideas from cookbooks and recipes from friends, and I'll add my own touches. The salmon recipe here is based on one a friend gave me. I added more wine, and sometimes I use capers to give the sauce a zesty tang." Broiling caramelizes the sugar and gives the salmon a deeper flavor.

This dish has a livelier, fresher taste than traditional risotto because the vegetables are cooked separately from the rice and then spooned over it in a rich ragout.

Concord-grape wine — a traditional part of the Passover feast — gives this delightful spongecake a fruity, almost floral note.

It's been decades since this dish was considered ethnic. Now we just think of it as down-home American food of the best kind. The moist, tender meat takes on a deep tomatoey flavor that suggests it's been slowly cooking for days rather than for less than 2 hours.

Nouvelle cuisine, for all its annoying pretension and fussiness, did return acidity to the table. Instead of leaning on cream sauce, cooks excited the senses with the interplay of sweet and sour. When first introduced, it seemed edgy and refreshing; now it seems timeless.

Introduced to England at the beginning of the 20th century by the wife of the British viceroy of India, this soup, enhanced with cream and a touch of curry, was soon turning up in dining rooms across Europe.

In this spin on New Orleans's classic appetizer of barbecue shrimp, chipotle chiles stand in for cayenne and black pepper, truly transforming the dish with a beguiling play of spice, a hint of smoke, and a gorgeous brick-red color. Here, we serve the shrimp as a main course — but in the spirit of the original, we've kept this a meal to eat with your hands. Peeling the shrimp, slurping their shells, and scooping up the hot, buttery sauce with crusty bread makes for nothing less than a feast. Best of all, it's ready in a flash.

A perfect ending to a holiday meal, these gorgeous golden orbs are remarkably refreshing. And they will remind you why, in days past, good little children often found oranges hidden in the toes of their Christmas stockings.