Toast

The sweet figs and tangy Gorgonzola are perfect partners in this unique and delicious take on a popular hors d'oeuvre.

These bruschette from the cookbook Simple to Spectacular by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman (Broadway Books), look both simple and beautiful. Each is topped with an array of mushrooms—shiitake, cremini, and chanterelle —that is set off by fresh tarragon. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"I was married last spring, and my husband and I spent our honeymoon in Del Mar, California, at L’Auberge Del Mar Resort and Spa," writes Leah Morgan of Shoreline, Washington. "While we were there, we enjoyed the cinnamon-raisin French toast. I would love to surprise my husband by re-creating this special breakfast at home." You’ll need to buy unsliced bread from a bakery to make this super-thick French toast.

Prepared pesto is put to delicious use in this easy and elegant appetizer.

A relatively new item in the produce section, broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. It has a milder, sweeter taste than broccoli. Buy German potato salad, and braise red cabbage to serve warm with the open-face sandwiches. Gingerbread and chunky applesauce make a perfect finale.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe was created to accompany Bacon and Blue Cheese Salad with Caesar Dressing .

To make this easy appetizer even easier, substitute store-bought roasted red bell peppers for the home-roasted ones.

This Welsh dish is also called "rabbit." The name rabbit may be traceable to the fact that the Welsh, who live in prime dairy land, were as fond of melted cheese as they were of rabbit. "Rarebit" may have been a later gentrification of the word, or a reference to the texture of this rare (soft) dish. Either way, it is excellent served in bite-size pieces for a party.

Although most bruschetta are savory, this sweet bruschetta is perfect for breakfast or dessert. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A delicious dessert version of a favorite New Orleans breakfast dish. Pain perdu translates as "lost bread," but you'll find that this is simply a type of French toast.

Leaping off the backs of onion-soup-mix boxes and showing up at cocktail parties everywhere, Lipton’s sour cream-and-onion dip took the country by storm. Convenient and quick, the dip also tasted great on potato chips, without which, in the fifties anyway, it wasn’t a party. These days it isn’t a party without little toasts topped by something Mediterranean-hence this zesty update.

The freshest greens and a blend of sweet and savory ingredients are the secrets to the appealing first course for this Italian dinner.

This recipe was created to accompany Chunky Clam and Bacon Dip Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.