Another advantage of pate is the chance to adjust the quality of the salmon. If the fish is salty, for instance, be sure to use unsalted butter and add no extra salt when seasoning. If the salmon is oily (common with lox), cut down on the butter and add plenty of lemon juice.

The essence of luxury, chateaubriand, is a cross between a roast and a steak, cut from the center of the filet and serving two people. It will need to be specially ordered from your butcher, or, if you prefer, you can economize by preparing the meat yourself (see below). The instructions explain how to cut and shape a "double" chateaubriand from a single filet of beef to serve four instead of two.

It isn't easy to flavor a souffle with pears, for a souffle base must have body to hold the whipped egg whites, whereas a good pear consists mainly of juice. The solution adopted by this recipe is to add ground toasted hazelnuts, an inspired combination. Otherwise the souffle is straightforward enough: Pear puree and ground nuts beaten into a light pastry cream form the base. After whipping, the egg whites are beaten with a little sugar to make meringue so they hold up well for folding into the pear base.