Serves 2. Time requirement: 30 minutes. What you will need: A long narrow piece of beef tenderloin, about ¾ of a pound, tied into a sausage shape with butcher twine. 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. 8 ounces of button mushrooms or a mix of more exotic mushrooms: oyster, king oyster, shitake, etc. 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as light olive oil or sunflower oil. ½ cup imported Port wine. 1 cup vea

Serves 2 Time requirement: about 30-35 minutes. What you will need: 1 boneless chicken breast skin on. ½ cup cream ½ ripe Camembert 2 teaspoons mild Dijon mustard Preparation: Sauté the breast in a nonstick pan. Get a good browning on skin. Turn cook covered. Leave for 10 minutes in the pan to rest and finish cooking. In small saucepan, heat the cream with the Camembert (cut into pieces). When the Camembert melts, add mustard. Allow sauce to reduce slowly while the chicken co

Serves 2. Time requirement: About 15 minutes. What you will need: 12 ounces of fresh cheese ravioli. 2 tablespoons chopped pecans ½ cup of Cool Cucumber Curry Soup. (Recipe follows) 1 tablespoon crème fraiche or very good thick cream, baring these, sour cream. 1 lemon. Salt and fresh pepper to grind. Preparation: In a 10-inch frypan, heat the pecans over a moderate heat to toast them. Add the cucumber soup and crème fraiche. Stir to mix all together. Turn off the heat. Set as

This is not a recipe, just some notes on technique. Tear off 18-inch strip of cling wrap and set it over a small bowl. Make sure the cling wrap dips into the bowl. Spray that area with oil. Repeat so you have three bowls set up this way. In the bottom first bowl, set a raw shelled shrimp. In the next, a tablespoon of grated cheese. In the next, add a tablespoon of chopped bacon. Crack an egg into each bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top one egg with some chopped piment

Serves 2. Time requirement: about 30 minutes preparation, including time to marinade the chicken, and another 40 minutes to cook. What you will need: 2 large chicken thighs, 7-8 ounces each. 6 rosemary sprigs, each about 3 inches long. 2 garlic cloves peeled. 1 shallot sliced. ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. 2 tablespoons olive oil. 1 anchovy fillet, chopped. 1½ tablespoon small capers packed in salt, rinsed. ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon white wine. (Or substitute ¼ cup fr

Serves 2. Time requirement: about 15 minutes prep and 2 hours cooking. What you will need: A 1-pound lamb steak cut from the leg. 1 teaspoon kosher salt. 16 frozen pearl onions. 2 carrots (5-6 ounces in total). 1 celery stalk (2-3 ounces). 2 medium tomatoes (5-6 ounces each). 1 Anaheim pepper (2½-3 ounces). 8 sprigs of fresh thyme tied together with a string. 3 tablespoons of olive oil. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. 1 cup veal stock (Or replace with chicken stock). 1 garli