Beverages

"On our honeymoon in Hawaii, my husband and I enjoyed dinner at Princeville Resort's La Cascata restaurant on Kauai's north shore," writes Jamie Smietan of Rancho Santa Margarita, California. "I tried the crème brûlée which had a rich coffee flavor. A copy of the recipe would be the perfect souvenir." Begin preparing this a day before you plan to serve it. The sugar is caramelized quickly under the broiler, but a small blowtorch (made for the kitchen) would work well, too.

"I got the inspiration for this recipe from a dish we made in a cooking class I took recently," says Tracy McGillis of San Francisco, California. "I added a few twists and came up with my own tasty version."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For a quick and satisfying after-work supper, team this tasty chicken dish with some cooked noodles that have been tossed with olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Layers of espresso-soaked pound cake and cream cheese custard come together with chocolate. Tiramisù means "pick-me-up" in Italian-and this certainly does.

The hearty sauce is also great over couscous.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At the Perryville Inn chef Paul Ingenito uses the succulent bits of meat from lobster knuckles in a bread pudding, which he bakes and serves in empty lobster tail shells as an adjunct to a whole lobster. We thought the pudding was stunning enough to stand on its own and so adapted the recipe, using the meat of a whole lobster for the pudding and the shells and body for the sauce.

New England tradition is behind this hearty soup supper. A mixture of tangy cheddar, Port wine and Dijon mustard produces a terrific spread to nibble on while the chowder is cooking. Pour Sauvignon Blanc throughout the meal.

A treat for mint julep fans. Traditional silver mint julep cups or frozen parfait glasses add a nice accent at serving time.

Tropical flavors star in this cool indulgence.

Taking a cue from the classic drink, this dessert has a rich and creamy coffee flavor. It looks pretty spooned into glass coffee cups or mugs and topped with a few coffee beans (real or chocolate).

Dijon mustard and dry white wine add French flair to this longtime favorite.

At The Great House at Villa Madeleine in St. Croix, they often use a native fish called wahoo for this interesting dish, but swordfish is another nice choice. They also make the chutney with the very hot Scotch bonnet pepper. A serrano chili produces a slightly milder version.