Frank Stitt

There are two keys to making this rich, smoky stew as good as it can be: Enhance the flavor of the broth with shrimp shells, and gently simmer the shrimp and fish so as not to overcook them. If you want to skip the homemade shrimp stock, substitute 2 cups of fish stock from your fishmonger or 2 cups of bottled clam juice.

Corn bread sweetened with sugar must be a Yankee invention, because corn bread in the South is always a savory staple. We like to keep it simple, but don't stint on the fat, whether butter or bacon fat (or oil, if you must). Corn bread, corn muffins, and corn sticks should all be cooked to a dark shade of golden brown and turned out while hot, the steam rising fragrant with the aromas of corn and bacon, as you break into them.

This puree is a wonderful vegetable side dish for any cool-weather braise or stew.

Throughout the season, quail is always on the Highlands menu. We stuff them with ham, tasso, chicken liver, foie gras, crawfish, or corn bread. Our quail come from a farm in South Carolina, but most butchers or specialty markets sell semi-boneless quail, ideal for stuffing. (Editor's Note: The recipe below is for four quail, enough to serve two people as a main course. If you are cooking for more people, chef Stitt recommends that you prepare two quail for each extra person and adjust the other ingredients proportionally.)

As this soup cooks, the kitchen will quickly fill with the tantalizing aroma of leeks stewing in butter with pumpkin, curry, and spices.

This dessert has been the grand finale for every type of fancy dinner at Highlands, from museum balls we've catered to family Thanksgiving meals to nightly desserts. Buttery sweet potato filling, sweet coconut, and crunchy pecans combine with a dark rum crème anglaise to make a minor classic. This also pairs well with a cinnamon crème anglaise (see Variation).

Though we used parfait glasses for this pudding to show off the layers, at the restaurant Stitt serves it in large coffee cups with saucers and spoons. The whipped cream topping looks like the foam on a cappuccino — hence its name.

Having the lamb boned makes it easier to serve at the table — you won't have to struggle with trying to slice around the bone.

Stitt likes to take advantage of seasonal fresh beans, but he also makes this dish using dried beans such as cannellini, borlotti, and even giant limas. He often serves a mixture, simmering each variety separately, as cooking times differ.

In a large menu, the salad is often served after a number of hearty dishes, so the portions are scaled down. For a smaller meal, this amount would serve 4 to 5 hearty salad eaters.

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.