Duck

One of the best-loved pastas in the Italian city of Trieste is the whole wheat spaghetti known as bigoli, which is often topped with anitra in sugo, an intensely flavored sauce made with duck. This recipe, from the excellent restaurant Hosteria Bellavista, also includes chicken livers, porcini mushrooms and pancetta (Italian bacon). Porcini mushrooms and bigoli are available at Italian markets and specialty foods stores.

(Petto di Anatra "Porchettata") Here, duck is prepared in the manner of porchetta, suckling pig stuffed with garlic and fennel. Serve with the degreased pan juices for extra flavor.

This dish is similar to classic Peking duck in the way that it is eaten: Slices of breast meat, crisp skin, scallion, and hoisin sauce are rolled inside pancakes. In a traditional rendition the meat from the duck legs would be stir-fried with vegetables, but here the duck legs are served whole. Be sure to allow three days for this duck to dry in the refrigerator.

"Pease porridge in the pot nine days old" fairly well summarizes the technique of stew preparation in Shakespeare's day. A thick soup would have been left cooking for days at a time, with new vegetables, stock, and bits of leftover meat continually added. This Italian version contains rich duck meat, a delicious and unusual addition to pea soup.

This is a big-deal dish. But the numerous steps, all easy, transform the duck into a wonder of subtle spiciness. We had this dish in Xi'an, where five-spice powder in the rub and the dipping salt were lovely touches.

For centuries, the French have been braising duck as a way to tenderize it, whether the duck was wild or tame (use only farm-raised duck in the recipe below). The slight bitterness of turnips nicely offsets the flavorful meat rich but simple sauce. The appropriate wine choice here would be French-splurge a bit for the season and pour a good Burgundy or Chablis with this.

A well-sharpened French mandoline with a fluted blade is the secret to these paper-thin potato wafers with a waffle design. Active time: 55 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

If you are not able to find Pont l'Evêque cheese, either Taleggio or Brie would also work well in this lovely starter from Charlie Trotter's in Chicago.

We used chef Fergus Henderson's technique for braising duck legs so the skin sides, peeking above the liquid like "alligators in a swamp," stay crisp while the meat braises.

A real special-occasion entrée. Rich Muscovy duck breasts, sold at specialty foods stores, are larger and meatier than others.

The restaurant takes its name from amuse-bouche, a small gift from the chef to "please the mouth." Chicken thighs make a convenient substitute for duck in this pasta dish.

All Southern cooks have their own ways of making gumbo. Our recipe contains neither okra nor filé powder, producing a thinner, lighter gumbo.

The business card from Tante Louise reads: "A very special restaurant"—and it truly is. This romantic spot has been going strong for 27 years. Owner Corbin Douglass is known for fulfilling all sorts of requests, from ensuring that guests are seated at their favorite table in front of the fireplace to presenting an engagement ring on the dessert cart. Chef Duy Pham changes the contemporary French menu seasonally. The following dish was inspired by roast Peking duck, a Sunday tradition in Pham's family.

"My husband and I discovered a restaurant called Abbie Lane when we were on vacation in Newport, Vermont," writes Beth D. Fisher of Middleton, Wisconsin. "He ordered the special—a duck breast with cherry sauce—and really enjoyed it. I would love to make this dish for him at home."