Instructions: Consider serving little gifts for dinner. Once they are on your plate, peel away the parchment paper or foil to reveal their surprise: a steaming, fragrant meal.

The French call it cooking en papillote. The technique gets its name from the French word for butterfly, which is what the heart-shaped parchment looks like before being folded and filled with meat or fish, broth or sauce, and savory herbs. But you can also make packets using aluminum foil; its much simpler and the result is the same.

Making dinner in packets is fast, fun and flavorful and uses little or no added fat. The packages seal in the flavor and moisture so the ingredients cook by steaming - without the need for butter or oil.

And, because of the steam, they cook in a hurry. Dinner can be ready in about 20 minutes. To be certain it is fully cooked, use a thermometer poked through the paper or foil into the thickest part of the meat.

Packet cooking makes sense whether youre entertaining, are single or have a family to feed. You can prepare the packages ahead of time and even freeze them.

When youre ready, just thaw before baking.

Packets are a handy way to prepare meals when youre camping, too. Fill your foil pouches before you leave home. Then, at the campground, take them out of the cooler and put them on the grill. Voila! Its a fine French dinner on the picnic table.

The possibilities for filling packets are practically limitless. In addition to chops, fish and poultry work well, as do vegetables sliced or cut into matchsticks (julienne). For flavoring, almost anything goes: Try your favorite spices, herbs, sauces and broths.

Some possibilities include boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salsa and cheese on a bed of crumbled tortilla chips (the moisture in the packet softens the chips into a tamale-like crust). A lamb chop and mushrooms on a bed of spinach. Or a salmon fillet with fresh dill and lemon butter. Youll find that half the fun is experimenting.

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