Chicken Breast

In 1997, my Tra Vigne crew and I cooked for a week at the Mandarin-Oriental in Bangkok, Thailand. The hotel's chef wouldn't let me leave without giving him this recipe. It will look familiar to everyone, but wait until you taste it.

Accompany this with roasted red-skinned potatoes and steamed green beans. Finish with chocolate-glazed cream puffs.

A grill pan is just the thing for cooking the chicken and zucchini in this recipe.

Petto di Pollo alla Valdostana con Lenticchie Brasate I sometimes suggest some side dishes to go along with main courses and let you make up your mind which you prefer to serve. I love this combination so much, though, that I'm including the side dish as part of the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

H.F. Lippincott of Montgomery, Alabama, writes: "The chicken marengo at O'Briens Bistro, in Pensacola, Florida, is delicious. I'd love to have the recipe."

Ground almonds create texture and thicken the sauce of pollo almendrado—our homage to New York's large Mexican and Central American population.

These powerfully seasoned chicken breasts grill up smoky and moist. Serve with minted iced tea and Asian beers. For dessert, offer mango sorbet with pineapple.

To complement this Provençal-style entrée, sprinkle torn radicchio with oil, vinegar and Niçoise olives, and mix chopped chives and grated Parmesan into pasta. Finish with a purchased lemon tart. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A high-flavor, low-fat entrée. Serve it over rice to catch all the juices.

Serve with steamed rice and some traditional condiments, such as chopped red and green onions, raisins, shredded coconut, peanuts and diced bananas.

Serve the waffles with sautéed green beans and mushrooms, and end the meal with fresh pineapple and giant gingersnaps.

By cooking the rice and toasting the walnuts ahead, you can take this dish from skillet to table in a very short time.

Round out this French-style meal with rice and steamed asparagus; polish things off with raspberry tarts from the bakery.

These make-ahead savory pies are wonderful centerpiece dishes for a casual dinner.