Cornmeal

These can be served with the Veal, Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce or as a side dish for grilled meats.

Watch how to prepare and carve your bird with our streaming video demonstration.

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.

Cornmeal adds a nice crispness to the coating for the chicken. The salsa and the Three-Pepper Slaw with Chipotle Dressing make this a colorful entrée. For drinks, mix up some tequila-lime spritzers by combining a little tequila with fresh lime juice and sparkling water, or uncork a bottle of dry Gewürztraminer.

Laurie likes to use 1/3 cup each of white cheddar and orange cheddar.

The cornmeal biscuit topping adds some crunch to the winning combination of fresh strawberries and rhubarb.

The creamy tequila-orange filling contrasts perfectly with the tart cranberry topping.

Lane Crowther, A contributing editor at Bon Appétit, says that "For twenty-five years our family endured side dishes of canned creamed corn and sweetened baked squash—simply for the sake of tradition. With this soup, I was finally able to convince everyone that a few classic Thanksgiving ingredients (like corn and squash) could be combined in a delicious new way."

Two kinds of cornmeal are essential here: The fine cornmeal keeps the coating together, and the polenta makes it crisp.

Joan Macht of Manistee, Michigan, writes: "My wedding shower was held at the Blue Slipper Bistro in Onekama, Michigan. For dinner I had the veal scaloppine saltimbocca, and now I want to make it for my new husband. Will you ask owner Cheryl Kissel for the recipe? The word saltimbocca in this classic Italian recipe means "jumps in your mouth," because of the great combination of flavors. The addition of herbes de Provence gives this version a bit of a French accent.

Here's the traditional southern way to bake and serve corn bread: right in the skillet. Using shortening to grease the pan produces a nice, brown crust.

Food editor Melissa Roberts-Matar figured out what makes The Harrison's clams so special: the lightness of the coating. That's achieved by draining the buttermilk-soaked clams well and shaking off the excess coating after you dredge the clams. One restaurant touch that we loved was the delicious addition of fried thin lemon rounds and parsley sprigs; another was Joey Campanaro's accompanying Lemon Coriander Aïoli .

This corn bread is less moist than others, but it's perfectly delicious for eating, especially when spread with butter. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 hr (includes cooling)