Gourmet

In this recipe, a casserole dish stands in for the traditional tagine. Serve with couscous or an Israeli salad of tomato, cucumber, and sweet onion.

Look for Gold or Strawberry papayas. Their sweet flavor complements this tangy crab salad beautifully.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 day

Making risotto is often thought to be an ordeal of stirring, but it really only takes about 20 minutes. In actuality, it's an easy dish, especially when it's the main course.

The more succulent the berries, the better. The cake layers absorb the juices, which is why this cake must be assembled at least 8 hours before serving.

This makes more pastry dough than you'll need for 24 tartlets. We chose not to reduce the recipe because pastry can be a bit tricky—the slightest change can affect the outcome (halving eggs tends to increase the chance of error). If you want to make more tartlet shells—which could be filled with fruit, ice cream, or pudding for another party—they can be frozen for 1 month. The leftover dough can also be used to make cookies.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr