Chanterelle Mushroom

Market tip: Go for Dungenesse crab from the Pacific coast or blue crab from the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic coast.

Roasting the asparagus intensifies its flavor and is easy to do.

Judy Rodgers is currently working on a cookbook from her Zuni Café in San Francisco. Grilling the mushrooms for this salad (which will appear in the new book) intensifies their flavor. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 35 min

These bruschette from the cookbook Simple to Spectacular by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman (Broadway Books), look both simple and beautiful. Each is topped with an array of mushrooms—shiitake, cremini, and chanterelle —that is set off by fresh tarragon. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Use fresh button mushrooms if wild mushrooms are hard to get; you will still have delicious results. Yukon Gold potatoes have a pale yellow color and a buttery taste that adds to the richness of this dish.

"Recently I had dinner at Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham, Alabama. To say I was dazzled by the baked grits is not overstating the case," writes Mary Lane Stiglets of Jackson, Mississippi. "This divine and truly southern recipe should be printed in your magazine for all to enjoy."

Fricasse De Girolles This makes a wonderful side dish to poultry or seafood, or a lovely dish all on its own.

This dish combines aroma and flavor in a unique fashion: Bowls of steaming rosemary vapor accompany the luxurious main course. The piney fragrance of fresh rosemary adds another dimension to the taste experience.

Offer a small salad of baby greens with a shallot and tarragon vinaigrette.

At the restaurant the chef garnishes this dish with fresh seasonal flowers, chervil, and chives.

Great with any mushroom you can find (crimini, white button, etc.), but excellent with some morels, porcinis, or chanterelles into the mix.

Meaty mushrooms compliment nutty, chewy grains in this savory dish.