American

Although the Delta Queen's cooks enjoyed this dish made with leftover turtle, you can use just about any kind of meat. If you don't have leftovers, try boiling a less-tender cut of beef until tender and use the stock for the soup.

A light and flaky puff pastry crust is what makes this pot pie the ultimate. It’s a great way to turn leftover chicken and veggies into a whole new and delicious dish.

Try something new this year. Slivered almonds and sun-dried tomatoes add a delicious twist to this stuffing recipe that’s the perfect pair for a moist roasted turkey.

This show-stopping pork roast features exquisite taste and elegant presentation, but the reason it’s one of our favorites is that it’s so easy and reliable—you’ll get great results every time.

These upscale cheesesteak sandwiches feature flaky puff pastry instead of ordinary rolls. They’re easy to make, and even easier to enjoy!

Ready in less than an hour, this satisfying twist on traditional chili tastes like it’s been simmering all day!

Potatoes cooked in chicken broth are mashed with just the right amount of butter, cream, chives and bacon to make an irresistible side dish.

Reminiscent of cornbread, this enticing casserole adds the favorite flavor upgrade of corn in another form to any daily dinner.

Company coming? Here’s an easy and elegant breakfast or brunch idea that your guests will really enjoy. It features puff pastry shells filled with egg, cheese, bacon and chopped chives!

Get the measuring out of the way when you have time: Keep homemade mix on hand for these shortcakes , plus a stack of pancakes .

WHO: Midge lives in Boston and is a journalist specializing in travel. She says, "Cooking, especially baking, is my way of winding down after a long day." WHAT: A rich pudding that has just the right balance of bitter and sweet. HOW: Starting the water bath with cool water, rather than hot, cooks the pudding very gently, giving it the most incredibly silken, glossy structure. WHY WE LOVE IT: Puddings thickened with cornstarch make great comfort food, but Midge's luxurious caramel custard, which uses egg yolks as its only setting agent, elevates pudding to dinner party fare. As with any egg-enriched custard, the key is careful tempering. As for the caramel, be sure to brown it as far as your nerves allow. Midge says: "So far, one of the best parts about living in Boston is my proximity to Toscanini's burnt caramel ice cream. I'm not even that into ice cream, but this flavor, with its slight bitter edge to cut the richness, is cracklike. I attempted to capture it in a pudding, and after incinerating a lot of sugar, I think I finally got it."

Southerners are especially clever about using up breads, raisins, and other dried fruits going stale. This frugal bread pudding—elegant enough for a party—is a case in point. The bread to use is firm-textured white bread (a.k.a. farm-style bread). I think raisin bread would be equally delicious though I've never tried it. And if I do, I'll omit the raisins or use half the amount called for. Tip: Only top-quality bourbon or sour mash whiskey will do for the sauce. Cheap brands lack flavor.

I can't believe I'd never heard of this recipe until I was halfway through writing this cookbook and then only because my good friend Fran McCullough, a primo New York cookbook editor now retired and living in the historic town of Hillsborough just north of Chapel Hill, e-mailed one morning full of enthusiasm: "Have you ever heard of Atlanta Brisket?" She'd eaten it for the first time the night before at some local "food do" and was blown away by its flavor and succulence. A quick online search turned up this shocker. Eli N. Evans, my across-the-hall Gramercy Park co-op neighbor for nearly 20 years, is an aficionado of Atlanta Brisket. Who knew? President Emeritus of The Charles H. Revson Foundation of New York and like me a born-and-bred Tar Heel, Eli is the author of three acclaimed books: The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South, Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate, and The Lonely Days Were Sundays: Reflections of a Jewish Southerner. The irony here is that I'd hand recipe "tests" across the hall to Eli and his family, never dreaming that he knew a thing about cooking.

If there's a way to bake a vegetable, trust a Southerner to find it. Who else, pray tell, would steam a head of cauliflower, sauce it, bread it, and bake it? Note: To save time, I nuke the cauliflower, adding no additional liquid. The drops of water clinging to the head after it's washed are quite enough. I simply put the cauliflower in a 2 1/2-quart microwave-safe casserole deep enough to accommodate it, one with a tight-fitting domed lid. I then center the covered casserole in my microwave oven, set the cook-time at 14 minutes, and hit HIGH (full power). My microwave oven is a 650-watter; newer models of higher wattage will do the job faster—perhaps twice as fast. But you will know your particular model's prowess better than I. If you choose to steam the cauliflower instead, allow 8 to 10 minutes in a covered saucepan over moderate heat or until crisp-tender—there should be about 3/4 inch of water in the pan. No steamer rack needed. While the cauliflower cooks, ready the sauce and bread crumb topping. That way no time wasted. Tip: For mellower flavor and smoother sauce, substitute freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for the Cheddar our mothers and grandmothers would have used.

This show-stopping pork roast features exquisite taste and elegant presentation, but the reason it's one of our favorites is that it's so easy and reliable - you'll get great results every time

Try something new this year. Slivered almonds and sun-dried tomatoes add a delicious twist to this stuffing recipe that's the perfect pair for a moist roasted turkey.

The subtle seasonings in this simple stew won't overwhelm the delicate lobster meat.

Blanching the mustard greens and kale ahead of time both softens them up and helps keep their color.

The classic technique of covering simmering vegetables with a parchment-paper round (known as a cartouche) yields perfectly moist, evenly cooked pieces.