French in a Flash: Salmon en Croûte with Rosemary and Asparagus

The French version of the "complete meal in a box" is the en croûte ("in crust"). Consider puff pastry your packing material. Then pack everything you need for your meal—your protein, your vegetable, your sauce—inside, with the package doubling as your carb. Foolproof. Genius, even.

French in a Flash: Coquilles St. Jacques Pot Pies with Roasted Lemon

Coquilles St. Jacques are a French classic: sea scallops squatting in their own half shell beds, blanketed in a cozy, creamy sauce flavored with shallots and mushrooms and maybe some white wine. For an American version, I make them into pot pies.

French in a Flash: Trout en Papillotte

"Unwrapping the unlucky but delicious trout feels something like Christmas." My grandmother is my own Edith Piaf. Mémé has a voice that trembles on the air, buoyed up by soprano aspirations. It is a beautiful but homemade voice--like a quilt....

French in a Flash: Cod en Papillote

[Photographs: Kerry Saretsky] Previously Lamb and Rosemary Brochettes with Apricot Crème Fraîche » All French in a Flash recipes » I was having lunch with an old friend this week who is incredibly successful, and recently engaged. She looked at...

Awesome Mushroom Pâté

The perfect ritzy New Year's nibble: roasted wild mushroom pâté with thyme, garlic, and truffle oil. Smeared onto waiting baguette rounds, it goes great with Champagne.

Black Trumpet Mushroom Pâté

This creative vegetarian mushroom pâté is a perfect appetizer for parties, and it also makes a wonderful spread on sandwiches.

French in a Flash: Veal Stew Forestière

A stew may seem heavy and wintry for the budding springtime, but this stew is lighter, fresher, and full of tender veal, earthy mushrooms, fresh lemony thyme, and shards of salty, crisp Jambon de Bayonne. With a dash of luscious cream, it's a breath of fresh, springtime air in the stuffy world of stews.

French in a Flash: French Peas

Sweet little green peas are gussied up with shallots, diced ham, and a splash of cream. These are how peas were meant to taste.

French in a Flash: Drunken Angel Hair with Leeks and Cream

What I love about this dish is that if I have a bottle of wine that I don't like, a really cheap bottle, or the ends of four or five bottles, I can use them all.

French in a Flash (New Year's): Black Truffle Pasta

Black truffle pasta: I love the gluttony of it. It feels extravagant, but it neither breaks the bank nor your back. And, with any luck, it is a preview of the riches to come in the new year.