Shallot

Editor's note: The recipe is from Susan Curtis and Nicole Curtis Ammerman's book Santa Fe School of Cooking: Flavors of the Southwest.

Everyone—not just whiskey fans and pyromaniacs—will love this steak and its rich, tangy sauce. The type of whiskey you use will leave its own imprint on the sauce: Bourbon will make for a sweeter sauce, while rye will add some nice yeasty notes. Scotch will take it in a smokier direction. Do be careful when flambéing: Because this recipe calls for a generous amount of whiskey, the flames may shoot quite high (it’s a necessary step to take the edge off the alcohol).

What happens when you take the tomato sauce out of a lasagne? The delicacy of the noodles (egg-enriched lasagne sheets are a must here) and cheese really comes through. "My very good friend Claudio from Perugia gave me his family recipe for this dish many years ago, and I was delighted by its lightness," says Ferrigno.

Tricked out with shoestring fries, this is a time-honored rendition of steak frites—meat and potatoes à la française. A rich sauce on the side enhances the already flavorful well-marbled meat.

Adding Dijon to this sauce lends not only a nice kick but also body and richness—without resorting to lots of cream and butter (a shocking idea in an issue that sings the praises of French food, we know).

This salad shows how bitterness, punctuated with a zingy vinaigrette, can be supremely refreshing.

Who knew? These two humble winter staples actually have a natural affinity, playing off each other's best qualities.

Châteaubriand, the classic steak for two made from a center-cut filet, requires little dressing up. Like most high-quality cuts, it's best cooked rare to medium. Serve with sautéed julienned vegetables.

Going beyond the customary side dishes for beef (mushrooms and a gratin), we've combined all the luxurious flavor of wild mushrooms sautéed in cream with good buttered toast for these single-serving puddings, giving every guest a perfect mix of crisp, golden surface and warm, melting interior.

The overnight marinade means you just have to pop these deliciously sticky drumsticks in the oven when you're ready. It also means that they're packed with classic Asian sweet-and-sour flavors that appeal to younger palates.

Vegetarians deserve a showstopping centerpiece for their main course, too, and this burnished pumpkin, filled with a fragrant stew, will have even meat eaters saying, "Who needs a turkey?" Root vegetables, mushrooms, and seitan—a firm, meatlike wheat protein that soaks up all the flavors of the sauce—mingle with roasted vegetables inside the pumpkin, whose flesh you scoop out along with servings of the stew. (Don't be intimidated at the thought of assembling such a masterpiece—if you've ever made a jack-o'-lantern, you have the skills to prepare this dish.)

Make the vibrant lemon, tarragon, and parsley butter up to three days ahead and then toss with hot blanched green beans for an easy last-second side.

The ingredients here evolved from the Miraglia family's favorite way to roast capon, but the simplicity of this dish will resonate with anyone looking for a beautiful and delicious all-American turkey.

Slow-cooked, jammy shallots are an elegant and unexpected addition to these buttery mashed potatoes. Making the shallots several days ahead will allow the flavors to deepen and save you time on Thanksgiving Day.

Gently pickling the shallots mellows them and also adds hints of sweetness and acidity. Tossing them with some earthy, quick-cooked kale makes for a pleasing contrast in flavors.

Catfish stays tender and moist when baked in a crunchy crust of bread crumbs and cornmeal. A take on traditional New Orleans rémoulade adds a piquant punch.

Tarragon leaves and meaty morel caps shoot up all over the Jura mountains in the spring. Here, tossed with juicy green and white asparagus — Europeans are particularly mad for the latter — they're a genuine sampling of the season.

Char Kway Teow These slightly sweet, salty rice noodles, with lots of garlic and a hint of heat, are a popular street food in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. There's a bit of chopping involved, but the ingredients are remarkably easy to put together.

Bahmi goreng You'll be hard-pressed to refuse seconds of this irresistible stir-fry. Tender Chinese egg noodles, crisp green snow peas, and Chinese long beans mingle with plenty of rich, garlicky sauce. Cubes of tofu and shredded omelet add even more texture.

Adding watercress to potato salad gives this old standby new life. We particularly like the contrast of the crisp, peppery green against the warm, vinegar- and mustard-spiced potatoes.

I like to think of tofu as a blank canvas just waiting for the application of texture and color. Here, I've panfried it to crisp the edges and draped it in a velvety Vietnamese-style caramel sauce. A shower of fresh herbs and browned shallots gives it an extra layer of flavor. If you prep the herbs and make the sauce ahead, you can put this on the table in under half an hour.