Braving the sort of cold Cambridge rain our group has grown accustomed to, we met in the oak-panelled Dunster House dining hall for Sunday brunch. Our gathering was of old comrades, one of whom had recently returned from adventures on the Continent, and another of whom had trekked to the river's edge from distant Cabot House. Over cerebral, though spirited conversation, we prepared a tasty meal of robust proportions from food ordinarily available on the salad bar. Desirous of exploiting the fresh ingredients provisioned by the helpful corps of dining hall staff, we selected simple comestibles. Each recipe had a story. One had been found scrawled in the margins of a goodly great-aunt's tattered copy of The Radcliffe News. Another had been inspired by a childhood hot-air balloon tour of Tuscany. And certainly, some of these recipes we had devised ourselves, tired as we were of cafe lunches and bistro suppers and craving simpler, heartier fare. As a simple Provencale peasant would say, bon apetit!

Gateau au fromage de Philadelphie

1 glob cream cheese

3 packets sugar

3 graham cracker sections

1 dab butter

1 soup spoon jam

1. Roll up sleeves.

2. Knead butter with graham crackers until mushy.

3. Line bottom of condiment bowl with mixture.

4. Combine sugar and cream cheese until homogenous.

5. Add to bowl.

6. Top with swirl of jam.

7. Roll sleeves back down.

8. Eat.