Chile

As a working mother with four daughters, my mom had very little spare time, yet she always managed to turn out meals reminiscent of her native Canton, China. This dish, one of her specialties, takes its name from the moist, velvety texture the chicken gets from being poached at a low temperature. My mother loved the short preparation time (the chicken finishes cooking through heat retained in a covered pot) and that the poaching liquid can be strained and then chilled or frozen to be used again. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Jennifer Larson of Beirut, Lebanon, writes: "I had a fabulous lunch at Rosa Mexicano in New York. The warm chocolate cake with sweet tomatillo sauce really stood out. Can you get the recipe?" Chocolate labels can be confusing because there's no official distinction between semisweet and bittersweet. We tested this recipe using Valrhona (56%), which is labeled semisweet, Ghirardelli Bittersweet, and Lindt Bittersweet. We got the best result using Valrhona (56%), but if Valrhona is not available, we recommend Ghirardelli Bittersweet over Lindt Bittersweet for this recipe.

Chipotle chiles are quite spicy; choosing a mild enchilada sauce will temper the heat of this dish. Look for chipotle chiles canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, in the Latin American foods section of the supermarket. Serve with: Avocado, red onion, and grapefruit salad with citrus vinaigrette, and Spanish rice.

The consistency and flavor of bottled Asian chile sauces can vary, as can the heat of fresh chiles, so make adjustments to taste. For these tropical rolls, we found the thinner Wei-Chuan brand spring roll wrappers worked best. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr

Chuckwagon cooks used to simmer beans for days, and the cowboys always thought they tasted best on the third day. This version, called frijoles de olla in Spanish, is even better reheated. The beans cook in flavorful juices that are also served with them.

This recipe was created to accompany Spiced Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Mango Salsa. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

On the eastern side of the Indian peninsula, fronting the Bay of Bengal, is Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state. This recipe from that cosmopolitan city is typically made with sardines, mackerel, and crab, but we have substituted orange roughy for a more delicately flavored dish.

Great on their own or in pastas and salads.

I know what you're thinking: Another crabcake. Well, all crabcakes are not alike. When this dish goes on Commander's menu, more than half our patrons will order it. They probably feel as my mother does: "True jumbo lump crabmeat is the caviar of Louisiana." We want to highlight the crabmeat, not mask it with heavy binders or frying, so this has no bread crumbs and only a small amount of binder. And the cakes are _not_fried, making them incredibly light. As for the accompaniment, crab and corn are a classic Creole combination.

One of the best ways I know of serving a dish the second time around is to dress up the leftovers in tortillas, bake them in a spaghetti sauce, and top them with crunchy stuff. Even a picky kid might not recognize last night's dinner — if you're lucky. You can use the same fillings and toppings you would with tacos or try some others.

Lane Crowther, A contributing editor at Bon Appétit, says that "For twenty-five years our family endured side dishes of canned creamed corn and sweetened baked squash—simply for the sake of tradition. With this soup, I was finally able to convince everyone that a few classic Thanksgiving ingredients (like corn and squash) could be combined in a delicious new way."

Poulet Grillé à la Diable In French cooking, any meat or poultry seasoned with mustard and hot pepper and then coated with breadcrumbs is called à la diable, since the devil, or diable, is associated with anything hot and fiery. Cafés and bistros all over Paris offer versions of this classic. I like to make mine with a combination of sharp Dijon and coarse-grain Dijon mustard, and with a good hit of spice, usually what the French call piments langues d'oiseaux, or bird's-tongue peppers. This is a great picnic dish as well, and I often make it for our lunch when we take the train to Provence. When we eat at home, I serve this chicken with steamed rice or sautéed potatoes and a green salad.

Besugo a la Parrilla Besugo translates as "red sea bream," which is the type of fish the restaurant uses for this dish; the bream is grilled, then deboned and served whole. Red bream is difficult to find in this country, so we've substituted red snapper, and we've chosen to broil fillets to keep things simple.

Chilaquiles, the ever-popular Mexican casserole, was created to use up stale tortillas. Made with a good sauce, the tortillas come back to life, take on all the flavors, and provide a wonderful textural contrast. Although chilaquiles are usually prepared casserole style, I have seen them made to order with scrambled eggs and chorizo. I particularly enjoy chilaquiles as a brunch item served with margaritas, chilled Mexican beer, or a hearty sangria.