Make Ahead

Serve this flavorful gravy over any poultry dish or Turkey Meatloaf (page 111).

WHILE MOST PEOPLE KNOW TURKEY ONLY as sliced cold cuts or a whole roasted bird for Thanksgiving dinner, turkey tenderloins are a versatile, tender cut. The citrus-herb marinade is crucial to both the flavor and the texture of the dish because it helps tenderize the meat and boosts the flavor. Serve this dish with Sausage-Oyster Stuffing, Wild Mushroom Stuffing, or Apple-Pecan Stuffing with Dried Cherries (pages 167–71), and you can enjoy the flavors of Thanksgiving all year long.

THIS MEATLOAF IS DRESSED-UP COMFORT FOOD. Made with ground turkey, chicken sausage, and cheese curds, it’s a healthy dish that might just replace your mom’s recipe as the best meatloaf around. You can use any cheese, but we like using curds because they don’t melt completely, adding texture in every bite, while the cheese curds on the outside of the meatloaf get deliciously caramelized. The leftovers make terrific meatloaf sandwiches.

SLOPPY JOES, THE OLD CHILDHOOD FAVORITE, get a makeover in this weeknight dish. With turkey instead of beef and the addition of corn, cilantro, and jalapeño, this is no ordinary joe. Spoon this flavorful mixture into hamburger buns or warm tortillas for a kid-friendly main course, or try it over rice or in a lettuce cup.

THE DELICATE FLAVORS OF COD shine when the fish is cooked in a light and flavorful broth. Served chilled, it is perfect for a warm summer evening. When the cod is served with a grain or plain steamed rice, the vinaigrette becomes the sauce.

Pacific Northwesterners love their blueberries. From July to September, cartons of fresh blueberries fill the grocery stores and farmer’s markets. The most prized is the wild Mt. Rainier blueberry, which grows in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State, but farms all over Oregon and Washington grow the bright blue fruit. Use fresh blueberries to make the sauce only if they’re in season; otherwise, use frozen wild blueberries. The sweetness of the blueberries is a stark contrast to savory flavors, and when drizzled over meat or fish, the sauce takes on another level of richness.

A great topping on fish, this fresh pesto also makes a wonderful pasta sauce or dipping sauce for bread. This recipe is a good excuse to experiment with different cheeses.

ALL SUMMER LONG we find thousands of uses for crab. Crab soup, crab salad, crab sandwiches—there’s no dish that doesn’t taste better with crab. We created this recipe with leftover Easiest Crab Salad (page 46), but if you can’t get Dungeness crab, substitute blue crab, chopped prawns or bay shrimp, or even lobster in this recipe.

THIS IS THE SAME GREAT BEECHER’S MAC AND CHEESE recipe taken to a new level, with the spice of chiles and the addition of vegetables. Feel free to experiment with leftover cheeses for new flavor combinations.

This was the first recipe we came up with for Beecher’s. It was created specifically for the mac and cheese, but then we realized we could use the sauce in all sorts of dishes: Mix it with a little white wine for a rich fondue sauce, spoon it over poached eggs (see Poached Eggs with Cheese Sauce, page 214), or pour it over steamed broccoli for an easy veggie dish. You can experiment with other leftover cheeses to create new flavor combinations.

VELVETY EGGPLANT, that beloved summer vegetable, comes to life in this easy pasta sauce. If you’re short on time, you can make the sauce ahead; it tastes even better the next day. For a more substantial dish, serve it with your favorite Italian-style chicken sausage. A short, sturdy pasta like rigatoni, rotini, or penne is the best choice for this chunky sauce.

WHILE FRESH MOZZARELLA IS USED IN AN ENDLESS VARIETY of pastas, pizzas, and salads, smoked mozzarella adds more flavor. It is made by smoking cheese over wood to produce a smoky, creamy result. This easy pasta salad makes a standout lunch dish, with the mayonnaise lending extra creaminess. You can adjust the amount of dressing according to taste.

LEFTOVER POACHED CHICKEN FROM OUR CHICKEN STOCK RECIPE has seemingly endless creative uses. Serve the salad over fresh greens, or roll the chicken in a wrap for a quick lunch. Fresh corn and bell peppers add both flavor and crunch to this dish.

THIS HEALTHY SALAD, made with crunchy cabbage, sweet carrot, juicy chicken, and fresh cilantro, gets a bite from the lime jalapeño dressing.

The secret ingredient of this tangy, spicy dressing is fish sauce, or “nam pla.” Made from small, dried fish, nam pla is a staple in Southeast Asian cooking; its strong, distinctive flavor is mellowed by the lime. Adjust the level of spiciness by adding jalapeños or leaving them out entirely.

CHICKEN AND AVOCADO SHARE THE SPOTLIGHT in this simple yet elegant salad. This will become an instant favorite of the avocado lovers in your house, and it’s an easy lunch or quick dinner.