Porcini Mushroom

Jeanne Thiel Kelley, a contributing editor to Bon Appétit, says, "Every year, my family gets together for a big buffet, and soup is always the appetizer. The host greets the rest of the family at the door with a small cup of soup and a glass of wine. Each year the soup changes, but this one is particularly nice. It has lots of flavor and a creamy texture, yet isn’t so rich that it spoils the appetite."

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr

The combination of dried porcini and fresh crimini mushrooms gives this dish an intensely earthy flavor.

This crowd-pleasing risotto works well as a main course—accompanied by green salad and crusty bread—or as a side dish for leftover chicken. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

When I first heard about Ari Weinzweig's delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I couldn't believe it. A deli in the home of my alma mater. It's not really a deli but more of an international food emporium like New York's Zabar's with a definite Jewish touch. Mr. Weinzweig, a drop-out Ph.D. candidate, has taken an academic and appetizing interest in updating Jewish recipes like mushroom and barley soup, going back in history to the nineteenth-century Eastern European version similar to that served at New York's Second Avenue Deli.

In this mushroom bourguignon, a vegetarian take on a French classic, earthy fungi braise in a wine-rich umami broth with pearl onions and tender carrots.

This mushroom gnocchi gets its savory flavor from dried porcini mushrooms, which are ground into powder and mixed into the dough.

When you get right down to it, very few people actually really and truly want a green bean casserole. Lacy fried green beans with an addictive shallot dip? That’s another story, and a great way to use up any leftover beans.

Refrigerated resting is key to these burgers’ success. Air-chilling helps dry the burgers out slightly so they stick together in the skillet.

Lentils and fresh and dried mushrooms give this vegetarian casserole its meaty character. You can prepare most of it in advance and bake it just before your guests arrive.

Good gravy begins with good stock. At least one day (and up to four days) before the feast, make your own rich turkey stock. For a recipe, see our Do-Ahead Turkey Stock (click for recipe); in a pinch, you can use store-bought low-salt chicken broth, but the results with homemade are incomparable.