Sear

"I have just returned from London, where I stayed at the beautiful Lanesborough hotel across from Hyde Park," writes Marjorie Wordingham of Mequon, Wisconsin. "I had the most delicious salmon with Thai-style vegetables and rice at its restaurant, The Conservatory."

Once the mustard butter is prepared and the chicken is marinated, this quick sauté comes together in just minutes. Any leftover fennel-mustard butter makes an instant sauce dolloped onto grilled fish.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. A spicy pepper coating and an Asian-style sauce give these tuna steaks an intense flavor. Joan serves mashed or oven-roasted sweet potatoes alongside. Look for the sesame oil in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

With uniformly sized fillets, the cooking time can be gaged precisely, resulting in the kind of lovely individual pieces of salmon served in restaurants. For four servings, buy one and a half pounds of skinned salmon fillets, taken from the thick (not the tail) end of the fish. Cut across the fillet to make four pieces of equal size. Although the technique is about as straightforward as can be, allowing the fillets to sit for a while after coating will encourage the fragrant seasonings to permeate the flesh of the fish; try fifteen minutes or so at room temperature, or a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

For side dishes, serve braised red cabbage, and egg noodles with butter and poppy seeds; finish with cherry strudel.

This unique combination of flavors has been on the menu at Restaurant Jean Georges since its opening, and it continues to draw raves. The form of the layered scallops and cauliflower is basic but lovely, and the dark green sauce has a mysterious, mustardy flavor; few people could guess what is in it, and almost no one could imagine how simple it is.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This compound butter is great on lamb or chicken, too. Or try it on crusty hot bread.

Portobellos make this simple dish shine. It's from Alfred Portale's 12 Seasons Cookbook written with Andrew Friedman (Broadway Books). Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

If you are using a single 12-inch nonstick skillet for this recipe, make the red cabbage and onions first. Transfer to a heated serving bowl and cover to keep warm, then clean skillet and cook salmon. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr

Negimaki Many New Yorkers owe their first sushi experience to the boom in the city's Japanese population during the 1980s, which in turn led to a proliferation of Japanese restaurants. These beautiful rolls aren't raw—they're seared to create a flavorful brown crust and a medium-rare center.

Pork tenderloin makes a delicious replacement for veal in this dish. Rice and chutney complete the meal.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe was created to accompany Grilled Chicken with Goat Cheese Stuffing, Peppers, Onions and Two Salsas. A little of this fiery sauce goes a long way. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

You may have to ask your butcher to reserve the marrow bones for this luxurious main course , but the result is well worth the effort. Roasted potatoes and steamed spinach make perfect accompaniments. Begin preparing this a day ahead.

Great flavor resulted when we made these croùtes in a ridged grill pan, but a broiler will get the job done.

If you don't have fresh salmon, canned salmon is a perfectly fine stand-in.