Mushroom

With its use of dried porcini in the turkey rub and fresh shiitakes in the light gravy, this recipe from the late food writer Michael McLaughlin is a fine example of his signature style: deeply flavorful seasonal cooking. You can make the turkey stock for the gravy up to two days ahead.

For ease of preparation, ask for the full round, not the short cut or partial leg, and have the butcher butterfly it for you.

"I recently had lunch at Café Boulud here in New York," says Shelli Rafkin of New York, New York. "My entrée, blanquette de veau, had the most incredible sauce I've ever tasted. The whole dish, in fact, was sensational." In this variation on the classic stew, the veal and the vegetables are cooked separately and combined at the end, when they're topped with a rich white sauce.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Here is an Asian twist on stuffed mushrooms. Chinese plum sauce and sesame oil make the satisfying, intensely flavored glaze. Small portobellos can be substituted for the shiitakes, if you like.

Crab and mushrooms have always made good dining companions, but never more so than in this velvety soup. Serve it as the first course at a dinner party or as the centerpiece of a soup supper, with corn bread on the side.

Big chunks of portobello and shiitake mushrooms make for a hearty soup.

Serve buttered green beans with this, and uncork a chilled Viognier.

For a light meal, all you need is some crusty French bread and a garden salad to go with this comforting soup.

Also delicious with steaks or roast chicken.

A salad of snow peas, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts and rice vinegar dressing is a good side dish. Fresh pineapple topped with coconut shavings ends the meal nicely.

Côtelettes de Saumon Frais Dorigny Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

What to drink: Gainey Vineyard 2000 Sauvignon Blanc, Limited Selection, Santa Ynez Valley, or another full-bodied, heavily oaked Sauvignon Blanc.

There's nothing more comforting than this version of chicken pot pie. Each individual serving is topped with a Pennsylvania Dutch-style buttermilk biscuit. Pour a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc.