Oyster

Oysters are a great way to start any meal, but buttered on toast they are ideal winter comfort food.

A twist on the traditional sauce for raw oysters. It works well with steamed clams, too.

Also try the salsa with some corn bread or scrambled eggs for a spicy treat.

Stitt likes to use rock salt — the kind used for old-fashioned ice cream churners — as a bed for these oysters because it keeps the shells from tipping and sliding around in the pan and on the plates. Rock salt is sold at many supermarkets, but kosher salt is a good substitute. At the restaurant, Stitt makes this recipe with local Apalachicola oysters, though he also likes the flavor of East Coast varieties such as Blue Point, Pemaquid, and Malpeque, so feel free to use your favorite.

To go with the crispy oysters, place sliced beets on a bed of frisée and top with balsamic dressing, crumbled blue cheese and toasted walnuts. Finish with wedges of angel food cake and caramel sauce.

Oysters were very much a part of American life in Colonial days, and were cooked in every conceivable manner — boiled, scalloped or steamed; turned into pies and fritters; or, in the winter in Savannah, roasted over an open fire. Here they're presented on the half shell, with shallots, green onions and vinegar.

Oysters Rockefeller were created in 1899 by Jules Alciatore of Antoine's in New Orleans to make use of local shellfish and greens. Named for John D. Rockefeller, this classic course is likewise quite rich.

It's very important to use small oysters — such as Kumamoto or Prince Edward Island — in this soup. The oysters themselves (not the shell) should be no more than 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. When we tested the recipe with larger ones, the flavor was much too briny.

Laura Trevino of Washington, D.C., writes: "This hearty chowder is the perfect thing for a chilly evening. Serve it with dark beer and crusty bread or oyster crackers."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Hangtown Fry This omelet hails from Hangtown, a town northeast of Sacramento that was named for the notorious hangings once held there (it's now called Placerville). The dish seems to have come into existence during the Gold Rush, as the high-priced breakfast of a lucky miner, and later became a specialty at San Francisco's Tadich Grill. It is traditionally served with bacon.

A refreshing starter from Arrows in Ogunquit, Maine.

Pernod, the beloved French anise-flavored aperitif, adds an interesting twist to the sauce. Offer Champagne with the starters.