Chile

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.

Begin preparing the kebabs one day before you plan to serve them.

Serve this salad with grilled meats; it's especially great with spare ribs.

Maple syrup lends sweetness and chipotle chilies add smoky heat to a terrific glaze for grilled corn on the cob.

Almost any type of seafood, meat, or vegetable is superb cooked in a sambal, the fiery spice mixture that is a mainstay of Malay cooking. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's a simple, richly flavored recipe from Josefina Howard, owner of Rosa Mexicano restaurant in New York.

This salsa is excellent with grilled shrimp, fish, or chicken. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.