American

The traditional apple, walnut and chopped celery salad is updated with a yogurt and low-fat mayonnaise citrus dressing, pine nuts and Cajun seasoning.

Miss Toklas frightens her readers when she says this dish takes four days to prepare. Actually, the labor involved is insignificant.

If I had to choose among all my cakes, this one would win first place because it is delicious by itself yet versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of buttercreams. The cake combines the soft texture of white cake with the buttery flavor of yellow cake. Using all the yolks instead of whole eggs produces a rich yellow color, fine texture and delicious flavor.

A southern soufflé that is a delicious addition to the Thanksgiving meal. It's much lighter than corn bread, yet with just as much rich, buttery flavor.

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

A refined version of a New Orleans classic. Ask the butcher to remove the backbone and quarter the duck.

Serve this zesty Cajun-flavored hash with a big salad (like a romaine mix with herb croutons) and a New Orleans-inspired dessert such as broiled bananas with butter pecan ice cream.

Chayote (often mistaken for a squash) is a fruit with a cucumber-like taste and texture. The sweet-spicy balance of this appetizer goes well with Sauvignon Blanc or beer.

As the pie bakes, the filling separates into a soft pudding-like bottom and a cakey top.

This brownie, baked in a tart pan, gets its moistness from cream cheese and its fudginess from the best-quality cocoa and chocolate. Little puddles of ganache are poured into holes made in the brownie, after it has baked, with a the handle of a wooden spoon. Chocolate doesn't get better than this.

English toffee puts the finishing touch on this scrumptious tart. For especially good results, use strongly flavored coffee ice cream.

Allen Susser is the man behind Chef Allen's, a favorite special-occasion restaurant near Miami. (He is also a cookbook author, has his own line of sauces, puts out a newsletter and has a Web site—www.chefallen.com.) Calling his food New World Cuisine, Susser uses an international repertoire of cooking techniques to prepare dishes with the best local ingredients. His focus on simple but powerful flavors shows in this dish.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Old-Fashioned Potato Salad.

Thick hot fudge sauce spiked with raspberry brandy covers scoops of vanilla ice cream — or any other favorite flavor. The sauce thickens further when it hits the cold ice cream, creating a dessert reminiscent of the one served in old-fashioned ice cream parlors.

The crust of this tart is tender and quite crumbly.

Garlic bread is perfect on the side. You can find Creole or Cajun seasoning in the spice section of most supermarkets.