Oven Bake

In the book American Gourmet, Jane and Michael Stern describe beef Wellington as a "lardaceous dish" that is "rich beyond reason." The pastry-wrapped beef was the ultimate in dinner-party fare in the sixties. In our re-creation, salmon fillets cook in frozen puff pastry sheets, which arrived in the seventies.

Here's a perfect way to have the taste of fried oysters without all the extra fat. If the oysters are very large, cut them in half before coating them with the cornmeal.

Forget the usual chopped liver. This rustic appetizer is an Italian treat. Spiedini are skewers of any combination of foods — bread, cheeses, meatballs, fish — that can be grilled or roasted.

These little toasts make a crisp base for savory toppings of eggplant and roasted peppers , chickpeas and mint , and sweet-and-sour onions . Mix and match as you please — if you prefer one topping over another, the recipes can easily be doubled. Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 20 min

Because they were so abundant, oysters were used as a filler and for flavor in a variety of Colonial New England dishes. They are still the star of traditional stuffings in the region.

Preserved lemons are a staple Moroccan condiment that can take up to 2 weeks to make in the traditional manner. Added to various foods, they impart a tangy brininess similar to that of olives but with the unique perfume of lemon. In most Moroccan dishes only the peel is used, the pulp being scraped away and discarded. However, the pulp is not wholly without value, making a delicious addition to Bloody Marys, and to salad dressings — wherever a salty-sour taste is welcome. The recipe below is an effort to approximate preserved lemons without having to plan a week or more in advance.

One of our favorite convenience products--packaged pizza crust--is put to excellent use in this recipe, which transforms readily available ingredients into a unique party snack or a fast and easy main course.

The following dish was inspired by a gratin served at Mesa Grill in New York City. In that recipe six sweet potatoes are combined with a chipotle chili and a quart of heavy cream for a rich and delicious side dish. In our version a similarly sweet-hot balance is achieved with the addition of enchilada sauce and cheese but no cream.

What northerners call stuffing, southerners call dressing. Oysters and eggplant are a classic Louisiana combination, and the bite of cayenne adds to the authenticity. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

This is a terrific fall dessert. Soft, syrupy pears and tart sour cherries are nestled under a nutty, spiced topping, which is baked until crunchy and golden brown. At the restaurant, the topping crumbs that fall from the crisps onto the baking tray are one of my favorite snacks, and my staff and I can't resist nibbling on them whenever the crisps come out of the oven. Be sure to bake the crisps until the juices bubble up thickly; otherwise, not enough of the moisture will evaporate and the fruit will be soggy.

"My husband and I went on our first date at Tuscarora Mill in Leesburg, Virginia, more than ten years ago," Jay Lewis of Charlotte, North Carolina. "A few years later, we held the rehearsal dinner for our wedding there. To this day, every time we visit our family in nearby Waterford, we have dinner at Tuscarora Mill. The pork chop with onion marmalade is my favorite entrée." At the restaurant, this dish is sprinkled with candied pecans before serving.

At The Painted Table in Seattle, Washinton, the fish comes with just the beet broth, but the beets themselves are delicious, too.

Serve as an entrée with salad and wine, or as a side dish with steak, ham or roast beef.

In the following recipe, scalloped potatoes, often soaked with cream and cheese, are combined with parsnips and cooked with broth and low-fat milk instead. Though lighter, they are still delicious.