Saute

South of Goa, the coastline of Karnataka state is scalloped with palm, mango, and jackfruit trees. This recipe comes from the city of Mangalore, where it is usually made with bangade, a small fish resembling smelt. We used salmon for this curry. And, when we can find them, we toss in about 10 fresh curry leaves along with the onion, garlic, and gingerroot.

"My husband and I were married at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada," writes Janie Cloutier of South Lake Tahoe, California, "and we celebrate our wedding anniversary at the restaurant there every year. The crab cakes are superb." These crab cakes are loaded with fresh crabmeat, which gives them a delicate texture.

Many years ago there was a health food restaurant on Hollywood's famed Sunset Strip named The Aware Inn. It was the first to make hamburgers, called "Swingers," stuffed with a mix of onions, tomatoes, and green peppers — almost a salsa except it was sandwiched between the meat. They tasted so good, we have been preparing hamburgers this way ever since.

If you happen to find a brioche loaf, it also would make terrific French toast. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

Try the braised escarole with apples and the herbed spaetzle alongside these juicy chops.

Fegato alla Veneziana The keys to success with this classic Venetian dish are to slice the liver and onions very thin and to work rapidly to avoid overcooking. A nice accompaniment is soft polenta.

María de los Angeles Rodr‭guez Artacho, co-owner with her husband of Bar Jordi, was kind enough to share her recipe.

Tracey Medeiros of Atlanta, Georgia, writes: "I'm a food stylist and recipe developer — and passionate about my job. It was a dream of mine to have a career in the culinary arts, but I didn't think that was possible. In college I was a political science major and considered going to law school. But soon after graduation I realized cooking was my true calling."

Tuaca, a sweet, citrus- and vanilla-flavored Italian liqueur, enhances this sophisticated dessert. Tuaca is available in many liquor stores. But if you can't find it, use Grand Marnier or any other orange liqueur.

Wendy Popp of Richmond, Virginia, writes: "My job as a physical therapist and my hobby, horseback riding, keep me pretty busy. But my sons — Sammy, two, and Weston, four — keep me moving the most, which has changed my cooking style. I used to be much more experimental, but now I need low-maintenance, tried-and-true recipes that will please the boys (including my husband, Jim) and impress dinner guests."

Caesar Cardini, the Tijuana restaurateur who originally served his namesake salad sans utensils, obviously knew what generations of romantics have always known — food eaten by hand is sexy. Start things off with the best caviar you can find. What to drink: A brut, or dry, Champagne or sparkling wine (the 1995 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs is an excellent choice if you want to splurge).

The cheese and walnut topping adds a touch of elegance to simple steak

Green beans go upscale in this fresh take on a favorite Thanksgiving dish.

Go to your local farmers' market for a variety of fresh vegetables to serve with these flavored salts. You'll probably find yellow wax beans, pink radishes, slender asparagus, sweet bell peppers, and an assortment of teardrop, cherry, and grape tomatoes. Dip the veggies into the olive oil first, then the salt.

"Five years ago, I threw my first dinner party," writes Kristin McGill of Chicago, Illinois. "It was a memorable night with good friends, great food and lots of wine. That night, cooking became my passion. And despite all of the effort, I still love to throw parties. My husband, Henry, and I host get-togethers once or twice a month. I do most of the preparation — admittedly that's because I enjoy cooking so much that I prefer to have the kitchen to myself. But I have to confess that since I started sharing the counter space, I've discovered we make a great team." For an elegant luncheon or dinner-party presentation, spoon each serving of this main-course salad into individual bowl-size radicchio leaves.

"As a kid, I'd accompany my mother to her job at the racetrack, where she would lead the horses out to the starting gate," writes Michael Hunter of Studio City, California. "Eventually I was helping out in the stalls, and when I got older, I became a jockey. My mother was also the person who, in a roundabout way, inspired my other passion: cooking. I'd come home from school, and she would have prepared something from a box or can. I didn't always like what was on the dinner table, so one day I asked her to buy me a cookbook. Pretty soon I was making dinner for us almost every night. Now, after seventeen years of racing horses and cooking for family and friends, I'm making the jump to professional cooking." These beans are particularly delicious with Michael's Sugar-Seared Salmon with Cream Sauce.

"Recently I had dinner at a fine restaurant with a peculiar name: The Place Next to the San Juan Ferry," says Beth Fogarty Day of Redmond, Washington. "It's right by the water in Friday Harbor, Washington. I'd love the recipe for the mushroom and goat cheese appetizer."