Oven Bake

Look for the panko at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets.

Think macaroni and cheese — only ten times better. This sophisticated version combines the nuttiness of Gruyère with the intense flavor of parmesan, juicy poached chicken, and a crisp, cheesy crust. If you're short on time, feel free to use cooked rotisserie chickens (see cooks' note, below). In that case, though, don't add salt to the sauce, as the stock made from the rotisserie chickens will already be salty.

Rich, creamy, suave flavor is the hallmark of this terrine. The shallots create their own sauce, so this is best served on a plate rather than on a slice of bread.

Tender, rich, and browned on top, this easy potato gratin gets loads of flavor from a very minimal amount of blue cheese that is added at the last minute.

Terrine de Campagne The straightforward character of this terrine reminds us of the words of Richard Olney, an influential American cookbook writer and editor who rusticated in the French countryside for almost 50 years. "A simple terrine," he wrote in his Simple French Food, "is never so good as when prepared in the easiest possible way, all of the ingredients of the composition mixed, pell-mell but intimately, together."

With ingredients like bacon, garlic, and butter, how could this hearty casserole be anything but wonderful? You'll definitely wish you'd made more.

Classic Mexican comfort food, minus most of the fat.

Mild fillets get zing from a coating of wasabi mayonnaise.

Stuffed vegetables are much loved by Egyptians, and some version of this versatile side dish (stuffed eggplants, peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes are the most popular) will be found at most big, family-style meals and on every restaurant menu. The idea is probably Persian in origin, and has universal appeal. One enormous benefit is that stuffed vegetables are also delicious served at room temperature or cold.

The turbot is roasted on a thin cake of overlapping potato slices and then sauced with a simple pan sauce, garnished with tomatoes and black olives. Turbot is rarely available in the United States, but another flatfish such as a fluke or flounder makes a good substitute. You will need a mandoline or other vegetable slicer to slide the potatoes very thin. Ovenproof nonstick frying pans work best here, so the potato cakes don't stick, but if necessary you can use other 8-inch frying pans or cake pans; line them with rounds of parchment paper.

Susan Elizabeth Fallon of Boxford, Massachusetts writes: "I love to create new recipes to share with my husband, nine-year-old son, and friends. For me, that's the fun and adventure of cooking. I believe that eating well means using fresh, high-quality ingredients, so I'm choosy about what I buy and I grow many of my own herbs." Here's just what to do with all those tomatoes you have now. This versatile dish is great as a side, on toasted baguette slices, as a zesty omelet filling, or atop grilled fish.

There's not much cheese in this gratin — the better to let the perfectly ripe summer peppers and tomatoes, cooked just enough to intensify their flavors, sing.

Goat cheese makes a lovely base for fresh herbs, carrying their flavor and punctuating their brightness with its gentle tang; in this spread, it tastes particularly mild because of the little bit of whipped cream folded in. Take the cheese out to soften before heading for the farmers market, and by the time you get back, it will be ready to mix with whatever herbs you've found there.

From chef Robert Del Grande of Cafe Annie in Houston, this recipe for fish baked in corn husks is one of country singer Clay Walker's favorites. Pipián is a classic Mayan sauce made from pumpkin seeds.

This simple one-dish vegetarian meal is hearty without being heavy.

This would be a hot contender for South Africa's national dish! The recipe was selected for an international recipe book published in 1951 by the United Nations Organisation. Bobotie is a Cape-Malay creation, and they spice it up even more with cumin, coriander and cloves. A similar dish was known in Europe in the middle ages after the Crusaders had brought turmeric from the East. When our first Dutch settlers arrived, Holland was largely influenced by Italian cooks, and a favorite dish was a hashed meat backed with curried sauce, spiked with red pepper and 'sweetened with blanched almonds.' There are many local variations, but the idea is that the mince should be tender and creamy in texture, which means long, slow cooking. Early cooks added a little tamarind water; lemon rind and juice is a more modern adaptation.

Who can resist rich chocolate with roasted pecans and butter-rum caramel? Melting the chocolate in stages insures that it will set. If you wish, the alcohol can be omitted.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Neo Soul _by Lindsey Williams. Exercising is probably the best thing you can do right now to get in better shape. Americans of all races tend to be less active than their grandparents were. The combination of fatty foods with little exercise equals the obesity epidemic we have today in the U.S.A. Fried chicken is such a central component of Southern cooking, but it's too high in fat to be part of a regular diet. Prepare it this way and you'll have all the flavor of fried chicken without all of the extra fat. _

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from The Dooky Chase Cookbook by Leah Chase and are part of our story on Mardi Gras.