Fork on the Road Recipe: Chilean Fish Soup

MAIN DISH

CHILEAN FISH SOUP

In Chile this soup is made with eel-like congrio, but sea bass, snapper, halibut or cod work fine. Serve with hot sauce and hearty bread.

Cook's Corner Recipe: Tennessee Canasta Cake

DESSERT

TENNESSEE CANASTA CAKE

CREAM FILLING

2 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shortening

Recipe: Parsnip Muffins

MUFFINS

PARSNIP MUFFINS

These muffins from Alton Brown were the easy winner of our taste test. They could be made healthier by substituting white whole-wheat flour for the all-purpose and cutting back the sugar a bit.

Recipe: Tuna & Corn Stuffed Manicotti

MAIN DISH

TUNA & CORN STUFFED MANICOTTI

This is a modern take on the old standby can be prepared, up until baking, up to 2 days in advance.

Cook's Corner Recipe: Beverly Hills Cafe's Zucchini Muffins

MUFFINS

BEVERLY HILLS CAFE'S ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

4 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Desperation Dinners Recipe: Garlic-Parmesan Pita Chips

SNACK

GARLIC-PARMESAN

PITA CHIPS

Start to finish: under 15 minutes.

Cooking oil spray

2 (7- to 8-inch) whole-wheat or white pita-bread rounds

Recipe: Lentil Soup With Lemon Zest

SOUP

LENTIL SOUP WITH LEMON ZEST

Start to finish: 30 minutes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Cook's Corner Recipe: Chocolate Better Than Sex Cake

1 standard box chocolate cake mix (butter recipe devil's food preferred)

3/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

Recipe: Tomato-y Romano Beans With Baby Eggplant

SIDE DISH

TOMATO-Y ROMANO BEANS WITH BABY EGGPLANT

1 1/2 pounds fresh Romano beans, green beans or other wax beans, trimmed

Cook's Corner Recipe: Pineapple Better-Than-Sex Cake

DESSERT

PINEAPPLE BETTER-THAN-SEX CAKE

1 (standard) package yellow cake mix, prepared according to package directions

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple

Recipe: Peach and Blackberry Crisp

DESSERT

PEACH AND BLACKBERRY CRISP

Plunge the peaches into boiling water just until the skin begins to lift, then into ice water, and the skin should slip off easily.

Cook's Corner Recipe: Chicken Cornbread Waffles

MAIN DISH

CHICKEN CORNBREAD WAFFLES

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Desperation Dinners Recipe: Sesame-Encrusted Tuna Medallions

MAIN DISH

SESAME-ENCRUSTED TUNA MEDALLIONS

Cook fresh seafood within 24 hours of purchase. If your fishmonger does not have medallions (they look like filet-mignon steak), substitute tuna steaks. If you prefer tuna medium-rare or rare, buy high-grade fish.

Recipe: Fall Green Salad With Roasted Mushrooms and Pear Vinaigrette

SALAD

FALL GREEN SALAD WITH ROASTED MUSHROOMS AND PEAR VINAIGRETTE

8 ounces assorted mushrooms, such as trumpet, oyster, cremini and button, cleaned and cut into slices

Fork on the Road Recipe: Haitian-Style Cornmeal

SIDE DISH

HAITIAN-STYLE CORNMEAL

Serve with beans, fish, shrimp, chicken or meat. Use a large pot, as cornmeal expands when it cooks. Grated cheese can be added with the coconut milk for a creamier texture.

Cook's Corner Recipe: Apricot Chicken

MAIN DISH

APRICOT CHICKEN

2 cut-up chickens

1 cup Catalina or French salad dressing

1 cup apricot jam

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Recipe: Fig Frangipane Tart

DESSERT

FIG FRANGIPANE TART

Prepared pastry for a 9-inch pie pan

1/2 pound blanched and peeled almonds

2/3 cup sugar

Recipe: Garden Primavera

MAIN DISH

GARDEN PRIMAVERA

1 tablespoon kosher salt

12 ounces angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti or other favorite long pasta

Recipe: Blueberry Cashew Granola

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2/3 cup unsalted cashew halves

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

Recipe: Raspberry Green Tea Cooler

2 raspberry green tea bags

1 cup light cranberry juice cocktail

2 cups 0-calorie raspberry sparkling water

Fresh raspberries, for garnish

Recipe: Key Lime Tartlets

12 crisp gingersnap cookies

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 14-ounce can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice plus grated lime zest from all limes (about 6 to 7Persian limes or 12 to 14 Key limes)

Technique Recipe: Boneless Pork Chops With Mushrooms And Zucchini

MAIN DISH

BONELESS PORK CHOPS WITH MUSHROOMS AND ZUCCHINI

Because of the mushrooms in this dish, I immediately think of the earthiness of Pinot Noir. The bright floral-spice aromas and rich supple flavors of Toasted Head Barrel Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2005 (around $15.99) go well with this dish.

Recipe: Red Bell Pepper Tomato Sauce

SAUCE

RED BELL PEPPER TOMATO SAUCE

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 55 minutes.

2 pounds ripe beefsteak or plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Recipe: Beet Salad

SIDE DISH

BEET SALAD

Eric Gower's recipe calls for smoked trout. In my adaptation, I skip the fish, use pecans instead of walnuts, and add orange zest. Try to find beets with greens intact. This time of year you can substitute Swiss chard. If you don't like the look of the greens mixed with the beets, Eric suggests placing the leaves in the center of a large plate and surrounding them with the beets.

Recipe: Savory Goat-Cheese Crepes

MAIN DISH

SAVORY GOAT-CHEESE CREPES

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt, plus more to taste

2 eggs

Dinner in Minutes Recipe: Chinese Pork Puffs

MAIN DISH

CHINESE PORK PUFFS

3/4 pound pork tenderloin

1/4 cup bottled stir-fry sauce

1 tablespoon canola oil

Cook's Corner Recipe: Lobster With Mushrooms In Cream Sauce

MAIN DISH

LOBSTER WITH MUSHROOMS IN CREAM SAUCE

3 tablespoons butter

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup dry sherry

Desperation Dinners Recipe: Shrimp With Peanut-Garlic Sauce

MAIN DISH

SHRIMP WITH PEANUT-GARLIC SAUCE

Blanched peanuts can be difficult to find. Unsalted roasted peanuts are a good alternative.

Fresh red chilies are readily available in any Asian grocery store. An alternative would be to soak dried red Thai or cayenne chilies in boiling water until reconstituted, about 30 minutes.

Recipe: Tomato Bread Salad

SALAD

TOMATO BREAD SALAD

FOR SALAD

4 to 5 good-size ripe tomatoes

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 baguette, cut into cubes and toasted

Recipe: Green Bean Salad With Feta and Lemon

MAIN DISH

GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH FETA AND LEMON

Make Ahead: The salad may be assembled and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.