This decadent dessert is impressive and easy to make.

This sauce is incredibly versatile. It's used in a whole array of dishes from every day macaroni and cheese to special occasion lasagne. You can even easily increase or decrease the amount according to your needs.

Continuing on the Russian theme, this is a dish we’ve all eaten at least once, probably years ago. The name alone — where it came from, no-one seems to know — makes any home cook feel important. And the taste, no matter what cut of beef you may choose to use (recipes call for everything from yesterday’s prime rib, to filet, to skirt steak — your choice), offers pure rib-sticking comfort.

Soy beverages in Tetra Pak cartons are a great alternative to buttermilk and it is full of vitamins and minerals.

Recipe courtest of the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Serve this soup hot or chilled. Recipe adapted from Oster. 

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 had this lovely autumn dish at a restaurant and experimented with it at home. A light sprinkling of cayenne pepper adds just enough bite to balance the sweet sauce. This is delicious with mashed red potatoes and steamed broccoli, which is exactly how the restaurant served it to me.

Pick up cooked chicken fillets, bagged salad, cheese, mango and ciabatta bread at the supermarket on your way home from work and assemble this salad in minutes. The hearty vinaigrette pairs well with leftover turkey too.

Although this recipe calls for liqueur, whisky, rum or any other spirit would work as well.

Spread this delicious curd on toast and croissants, use it to fill pastry shells, or pour into a pretty jar and give it away.

Spread your favourite jam on each crêpe and spoon a dollop of whipped cream sweetened with sugar and a splash of Luxardo Maraschino liqueur to transform this appetizer into a luscious dessert. Updated from an old recipe I had from Sunset Magazine.

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.

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

Feel free to prepare corn up to 1 day ahead. Instead of tying the corn husk in place, seal each ear with its husk in foil. The corn can then cook over direct or indirect heat.

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

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.

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.

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.

The secret to this silky and light pound cake, courtesy of legourmettv , is the length of time you beat the butter.

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

She suggests that this recipe is also excellent with rabbit.

Mild sweet leeks are available year round but their peak season begins in the fall. Trim off the root end and green leaves, and use only the tender white part. Be sure to wash thoroughly as leeks can be gritty. Mushrooms, like leeks, are grown in dirt. Although some cooks prefer to gently wipe mushrooms, I always wash them in cold running water, patting them dry afterward with a paper towel.

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.

Mary Knickle submitted this maple syrup-based recipe for Tidings' Maple Syrup Recipe Contest.

She suggests that if you like your chocolate sauce a little runnier on ice-cream add just a little water (a few tablespoons) and adjust flavours accordingly.  You can add any of the above ingredients over again.  Just whisk until smooth under a low heat. Above all enjoy, and savour the comments: "This is the best chocolate sauce I have ever had!"

A strata is a sandwich that is baked in a very light custard -- actually, a lot like dressed up French toast. This one's perfect for breakfast, brunch or lunch.

Here is the classic French leek and potato soup that is traditionally served cold.