This decadent dessert is impressive and easy to make.

For a Mexican dinner, I substitute tomato salsa and guacamole for the Mango Salsa. Sautéed sweet red peppers and onions make a delicious side dish.

This white, meaty fish has great flavour whether its prepared simply or not. Rice and sautéed spinach make delicious accompaniments.

I deliberately buy too many bananas so I always have a few extra in the freezer for this bread. When bananas are just past the point of ripeness, peel and chop, then freeze them in a freezer bag or container. Be sure to use within two months. This recipe calls for sour cream or plain yogurt, which both happen to be staples in my fridge. They keep well and can be used for many other recipes as well. Plain yogurt is particularly delicious as a dessert when drizzled with honey.

This recipe has 3 components to it -- beets, goat cheese phyllo packets and an egg. You can choose to put all three together on one dish, make 3 distinct dishes, or create one unique combination.

Recipe courtesy of Lobel’s Meat Bible (Raincoast Books).

A soufflé isn't as tricky to make as is often thought. It's true that it must be served immediately for all to enjoy the sight of that spectacular puffy top. But, it's actually very tasty regardless of whether its "breath" has escaped and deflated it.

I have been a paté freak ever since earlier writing times, when I would sit at the bar at Thursday’s in Montréal with a loaf of it, a jar of small, sweet gherkins and a red (probably plum) sauce. Whether or not there was bread, I can't remember. But it was a coarse paté; you could see the lumps and taste masses of herbs and tonnes of garlic. You don't forget things like that, especially in the first twelve or so hours! This recipe calls on several others, but ended up being mostly my own. I use frozen livers, and just before they thaw, cut them up like red ice cubes. It's less yucky than having a great glob of fresh meat!

The flavour of the dish will change depending on the type of curry you use, so pick the curry flavour you like best and run with it, paste or powder. I buy chicken breast fillets when they’re on sale and keep them in the freezer for quick no-fuss meals.

I’m not going to lie to you — there is some work upfront on this dish. A mandoline helps to slice the potatoes uniformly and it speeds up the process. Once the potatoes are in the oven, you’re home-free until dinnertime. This dish works with the Beef Tenderloin in taste, oven temperature and cooking time. Leftovers are fabulous and will make you the envy of the company lunchroom.

Take advantage of fall’s bounty with these vegetarian stacks topped off with bubbly cheese. It may seem time-consuming to create “Napoleons” but they stack up in a snap. Try to find an eggplant and tomatoes of approximately the same circumference.

The 3 - 2 - 1 ratio of flour, buter and water is the secret to making the ultimate flakey pie crust.

The sweet-and-sour taste of cranberries works well in a traditional sourdough loaf.

With the addition of olive oil to the herbs, this classifies as a ‘wet rub.’ For a more colourful mix, try purple and yellow potatoes, too. I sometimes add about one-quarter cup of grated Pecorino cheese to the oil for an extra kick. Cut back on the salt if adding the cheese.

This recipe has been adapted from the Robin Hood Flour recipe collection.

This is a great dish to make when chicken drumsticks are on sale. It’s hot but sweet all at the same time. You can turn up the heat by adding additional cayenne pepper. Serve with black beans and rice.

Save time by preparing the béchamel sauce while the meat sauce simmers. The lasagna can be assembled up to one day ahead. Cover and chill, then when you're ready, bake it.

This yummy tart, courtesy or Ricardo Larivée, can be served warm or cold with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream. Try seasoning the filling with ground cinnamon to taste. It's also delicious with homemade caramel sauce.

Read Kitchen Essentials -- Meringue for tips and tricks on how to prepare this simple, gourmet dessert.

The website of the Ontario maple syrup people, ontariomaplesyrup.com, is loaded with enticing recipes. From the beginning of the meal to the sweetest endings, there’s a fascinating variety of maple tastes. I picked this one and the next from the long list.

Henny Smith submitted this maple syrup-based recipe for the Tidings' Maple Syrup Recipe Contest.

Henny's recipe for maple pie is made with her own dark syrup. It is a variation on a maple tart recipe from Harrowsmith Country Life.

My friend Johanne, who has deep Quebec roots, sent me this recipe — her mom’s — for maple syrup pie. Like all sugar pies, the key word is sweet.

Here’s another version of the same tarte au sirop d’érable, this one from my friend Carol, and again from her mom. The big différence here is that the pie shell is pre-cooked. Take your pick.

You can buy frozen meatballs, but freshly made meatballs are so much better and so easy to make.

Entrepreneuring foodie Linda Meinhardt, who built and operates two spectacular destination fine food emporiums on Vancouver’s West Side, has found a ready market in these busy times for meals to go — many which start their journey to the city’s dining tables from a hot table in her Arbutus Street store. More often than not, the hot-table items have a cultural edge, like this chicken dish created by chefs Neil Porter and Ashok Sethi. With rice, the refreshing recipe will serve four.

Monkfish has a wonderfully meaty texture and is mildly sweet. The brown butter adds a nice subtle nuttiness to the whole dish. Monkfish tends to release a lot of juice as it cooks, salting it up to an hour before you cook it will help dry it out. A variation of that is to soak the fillet in milk overnight.

You can also turn this appetizer into an entrée. Butterfly chicken breasts, spread the stuffing over the cut surface, and secure the edges with a toothpick. Or, de-bone chicken legs and stuff the cavity, again securing the leg with a toothpick. When buying the ingredients, make sure that you go home with more mushrooms than you think you might need. Some will undoubtedly break when the stems are removed. This recipe has been adapted from the California Culinary Academy.

This is one of those dishes that, at first glance, seems too complicated for anyone other than a chef. Actually, it couldn’t be easier. The sweet flavour of the meat compliments the dish’s melt-in-your mouth texture.

This is a delicious treat adapted from The KitchenAid Cookbook. Easy to put together, it makes a wonderful anytime snack, or dare I say, breakfast.

This easy-to-cook Chinese specialty is usually enjoyed at Chinese New Year celebrations. It works best if the duck’s skin is absolutely free of moisture. Pat with paper towels until dry.

It doesn’t get much better than this. Thick potato planks with a cup of bacon-flavoured dip. This is the dish to bring out whenever there’s a sports crowd at your home.

Pierrette Mather submitted this recipe for Tidings' Maple Syrup Recipe Contest.

She suggests that this recipe is also excellent with rabbit.

A chocolate sauce for meat may seem out of place, but so do most things bordering on the divine. A bit of the bittersweet adds wonderful depth to this sauce. It also makes great dinner conversation. If you’re involved in a game of culinary one-upmanship with your friends or siblings, serving this unique combination of flavours will vault you to first place. I found out it also works well with beef tenderloin and with cayenne added to the sauce for those who like heat.

Vancouver-based Iron Chef Rob Feenie combines French cuisine with Canadian influences. To say he does it successfully is an understatement. His restaurants, Lumière and Feenie’s, are internationally recognized and hugely popular with West Coast locals. This is his recipe.

This salad is a treat for your taste buds. Add it to a sandwich, or serve as is with steak. The amount can easily be doubled or tripled with fantastic results.

Steaming salmon and vegetables in parchment paper is one of the easiest of recipes. Vary this dish with your favourite seafood and whatever vegetables you have on hand. If using harder vegetables like carrots or potatoes, give them a head start by microwaving them in a small amount of water until nearly tender before wrapping them up with the fish.

Adapted from A. Jan Howarth’s The Canadian Fish Cookbook.

Serve these salmon fillets on a bed of green salad dressed simply in oil, salt and vinegar. Or, for a heartier meal, lay them over a scoop or two of creamy mashed potatoes.