Toast points are an elegant and simple addition to serving cheese and pates at any gathering. Amazingly, they taste delicious even on their own!

Ham, bacon and pork, or carnitas, are staple meats throughout the Mediterranean. This pairing of prawns and bacon is extremely popular in tapas bars and ideal for an intimate gathering of friends.

One of the easiest types of tapas, Pa amb oli means "bread with olive oil" in Majorcan. This simple snack can be served at breakfast, as a snack, or with lunch or dinner.

In Spanish cooking, a tortilla is a flat omelet cut into wedges and served for lunch or dinner, often with a fresh tomato and basil salad. The addition of chorizo and cheese lend it a savory, rich flavor.

In this recipe, the tomatoes are used as a container for a savory Spanish stuffing. Aioli is a type of garlic mayonnaise. If you don't like garlic, use plain mayonnaise instead.

On Sunday mornings in Paris, the open-air market begins at 7 a.m. If you've been up late the night before, you may miss the best fruits, vegetables and cheeses. But no one ever seems to run out of leeks. This slender-stalked cousin of the onion looks picturesque peeking out of the top of a shopping basket, and makes a delicious tart filling for a late-morning brunch.

Oysters are a bold and stylish way to kick off a weekend brunch. Serve them on the half shell with a garnish of lemon wedges.

Caviar is back. (The super-rich would say it never really went away.) After a decade of dwindling supplies and a total ban on imports of caviar from the endangered Beluga Sturgeon in 2005, there's cause for celebration. Thanks to a new group of California caviar producers, one of the world's oldest luxury foods is actually more affordable than ever.

Sabayon (sometimes known as zabalone or zabaglione) is a versatile Italian dessert with the consistency of light, whipped custard. Often used as a topping for fruit, it is always made with egg yokes, sugar and a white wine or liqueur. This recipe uses sparkling wine and is generous enough to serve at a party.

This succulent entrée gets its distinctive flavor, and it's name, from the variety of kale called for in the recipe. Cavalo nero, or Tuscan kale, originated in -- you guessed it -- Tuscany, Italy. The Tuscan kale adds a wonderfully spicy note to the mild flavor of pork.