Blue Cheese

"I return to Seattle's Cassis Bistro for the fine food and service," writes Eleanor O'Keefe of Seattle, Washington. "In addition to the regular menu, there are always some fantastic seasonal specialties. I'd love to make one of their salads—it has dried cherries, bacon, and a blue-cheese vinaigrette."

"Our family vacations in Albany, New York, wouldn’t be the same without one dinner at Nicole’s Italia in nearby Guilderland," says Stephanie Clauson, Wayne, New Jersey. "I’d love to get the recipe for the spinach salad.'

This variation on basic polenta incorporates fresh corn just off the cob.

We use this dressing with our Onion-Crusted Fried Chicken Salad, but it's great, too, as a dip with pieces of fried chicken, vegetables, or best of all, with fried frogs' legs. It's a real thick dressing that gets even thicker when chilled.

Pink grapefruit can be used if you can't find the blood oranges.

To impart smoky flavor to food when using an outdoor gas grill, add a handful of wood chips (soaked in cold water 30 minutes and drained) to a smoker box and place it under the grates and on top of ceramic briquettes in the far right or left corner of the grill.

The creation of chef Monique Barbeau of Fullers at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers. Serve the terrine as an appetizer with toasted bread, or as a cheese course accompanied with a glass of Port.

At the restaurant Charlie Trotter bakes these small soufflés in thimble-shaped molds and sets them atop rounds of his own dried-fig brioche. Although he likes to use white Muscat grapes for the sauce, the recipe works well with any color or variety of grape. We used red seedless grapes, and they yielded a beautiful dark-pink sauce.

Radicchio, curly endive, butter lettuce and arugula are perfectly blended in this simple salad and tossed with a lemony dressing. Chef Hearon suggests uncorking a crisp Ligurian white wine or a California Charbono.

Not your typical salsa. This innovative topping is terrific with leg of lamb, or use it on endive spears or celery sticks for a party hors d'oeuvre.

A great-tasting hash that gets its kick from the combination of Maytag blue cheese, spicy sausage, red bell pepper and beets.

Celebrate with a bottle of Champagne.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.