Weeknight Meals

We love the contrast of sliced almonds and golden-brown cauliflower against the risotto’s Brie-amplified creaminess.

Chinese Rice Porridge with Turkey and Ginger

Nothing evokes the fall season like a plate of pork chops and apples, but we upped the ante with spicy horseradish, which adds new verve to this timeless dish.

When tomatoes are at their peak, I could eat them three times a day and straight from the vine. But every once in a while, it's nice to give them a little special attention. When that time comes, this is the recipe I turn to. It's a tartlet that looks like it takes all day to make, but is really a quickie. It's warmed in the oven for such a short time that the tomatoes never lose their fresh-picked taste and texture. I serve these as a first course at dinner or with a salad as the main event at lunch.

Yellow tomatoes bring a touch of sunshine to this delicious chilled soup, which can be made as spicy or as mellow as you like.

This herb lends an unexpected hint of mint to bean dishes. For a change, feel free to swap in lowfat feta for the olives.

Parisian chefs have been seduced by lemongrass. This riff on peppercorn sauce uses vermouth instead of the customary brandy to cut the richness of the steak.

I particularly like this sweet potato casserole because it isn't candy-sweet—no marshmallows, no canned crushed pineapple, no honey, and not very much sugar. I don't boil the sweet potatoes before I mash them; I bake them so they're less watery and have better flavor. Here's how: Pierce each sweet potato with a sharp-pronged kitchen fork, set on a baking sheet, then bake on the middle oven shelf for about 1 hour at 400° F. or until you can pierce a potato easily with a fork. Cool the potatoes to room temperature, peel, then mash until light and fluffy.

The keys to this fast, simple dish, which was inspired by a crab-stuffed tomato at Yves Camdeborde's Paris brasserie, Le Comptoir du Relais, are ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, and excellent crabmeat.

Bright apple flavor, plus a surprising tanginess. This sweet puree is a nice change of pace from the usual mashed potatoes.

Fresh fennel, rosemary, and crème fraîche give mashed potatoes added appeal.

Pumpkin seeds are available at many supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Latin markets. The pumpkin seed oil can be found at specialty foods stores and at surfasonline.com.

The traditional crostini topping is a soft pâté, but the wild mushrooms with truffle oil served by chef Julian Marucci at Baltimore's Cinghiale are just as indulgent.

Find mung bean sprouts in Asian grocery stores and supermarkets.

Channel your inner charcuterie artisan with this rolled pork, which is stuffed with garlic, spinach, and bacon and served in thin slices, either cold or at room temperature. The end result is a sort of fancy cold cut that will have the guests at your next picnic raving.

Since emigrating from Vietnam in the 1970s, Kia Dickinson has been generously sharing her incredible recipes with everyone she meets, including food editor Ian Knauer. This colorful mix of moist poached chicken, cabbage, carrots, and fresh herbs tossed with a wild, tongue-searing dressing is the quintessential summer salad—cool, colorful, and very fresh. When preparing this recipe, Dickinson uses the leftover poaching liquid to make rice.

This simple, delicious dish hails from China's Shanghai region. It's a great way to use up leftover rice—if your rice is already cooked, you'll need 3 cups of it.

This fish is steamed on plates, which hold the marinade and juices around the fillets. Be sure that the plates you use have enough of a rim to hold some liquid, and are not larger in diameter than the pan you'll be using to steam. In order to fit the plate on top of the steamer, you'll need a steamer basket that's flat all the way across, without a central protrusion. Many Asian bamboo and stainless-steel steamers have this shape but, if you don't have one, you can substitute a ramekin: Simply place the ramekin on the bottom of the pan, fill the pan with water just to the height of the ramekin, and place the plate on top of the ramekin. In her video demonstration, Chef Cheng uses sole fillets for this dish, but any white, flaky fish such as halibut or flounder, would work well.