Lemon

This classic cookie combines two of my favorite sweets: buttery-tender Scottish shortbread and satiny lilting English lemon curd. The problem has always been getting a firm enough topping and avoiding a soggy shortbread base. The special technique discovered for this recipe virtually guarantees success. The clean, refreshing flavor of lemon makes these the perfect sweets to follow a rich Christmas goose.

"As a kid, I'd accompany my mother to her job at the racetrack, where she would lead the horses out to the starting gate," writes Michael Hunter of Studio City, California. "Eventually I was helping out in the stalls, and when I got older, I became a jockey. My mother was also the person who, in a roundabout way, inspired my other passion: cooking. I'd come home from school, and she would have prepared something from a box or can. I didn't always like what was on the dinner table, so one day I asked her to buy me a cookbook. Pretty soon I was making dinner for us almost every night. Now, after seventeen years of racing horses and cooking for family and friends, I'm making the jump to professional cooking." These beans are particularly delicious with Michael's Sugar-Seared Salmon with Cream Sauce.

"Recently I had dinner at a fine restaurant with a peculiar name: The Place Next to the San Juan Ferry," says Beth Fogarty Day of Redmond, Washington. "It's right by the water in Friday Harbor, Washington. I'd love the recipe for the mushroom and goat cheese appetizer."

Food editor Melissa Roberts-Matar figured out what makes The Harrison's clams so special: the lightness of the coating. That's achieved by draining the buttermilk-soaked clams well and shaking off the excess coating after you dredge the clams. One restaurant touch that we loved was the delicious addition of fried thin lemon rounds and parsley sprigs; another was Joey Campanaro's accompanying Lemon Coriander Aïoli .

Hannah Levitz of Monroe Township, New Jersey, writes: "I first became interested in cooking when my son, Paul, was growing up. He was a picky eater and quite a challenge to cook for. He's married now with children of his own, and thankfully, he has learned to love almost everything I make. When we all get together, I like to do the cooking — it gives my daughter-in-law a break. And because most of my recipes are speedy, I still have time to enjoy my three grandchildren."

Serve a dry Riesling to complement the subtle ginger flavor of the roasted chicken.

The following recipe makes 120 cookies. Any excess raw dough may be kept, frozen, 3 weeks. You'll find these delicate wafers so delicious that they'll disappear in no time.

Salmoriglio is a strong, pungent lemon-herb sauce, originally from Calabria and Sicily. Serve the lamb with the chopped Greek salad to start and some grilled bread for soaking up the sauce.

This recipe was created to accompany other canapés: Shrimp Canapés , Pickled Herring Canapés and Cheese Canapés .

Preserved lemons, sold ready-made in Moroccan souks, are essential to that country's cuisine. The peel, pulp, and juice squeezed from the lemons can all be used. Sometimes, however, the juice and preserving brine can be bitter; use fresh lemon juice in that case.

This feather-light, sweet-tart bread is as good as it sounds.

Poach the pears and serve with traditional anise-flavored fried pastries. Start the pears one day ahead.

Gremolata, a mixture of minced lemon peel, garlic and parsley, is the classic topping for osso buco. This version also features rosemary. The chicken (opposite) is roasted under a baking sheet with a skillet on top; the weight ensures that the chicken will be cooked evenly. Sauted broccoli rabe is a nice go-with, as is a Pinot Noir, a Pinot Blanc or a Chianti. Cheese, figs and bread make a European-style finale.