Casserole

This dish is a holiday staple in Southern coastal cities. It can be served with the rest of the meal on the holiday buffet table, but my friend Marion likes to have it ready to go in the oven in case the meal is delayed and tempers get short. It soothes and warms enough to keep the hungry waiting. I'd set out little bread-and-butter plates and forks and put the casserole in the living room. Not all inland eaters have acquired a taste for oysters; they are especially delicious during winter holidays as either a traditional delicacy or exotic fare.

This gratin is particularly welcomed on the holiday table by those who love sweet potatoes and hate marshmallows. The cream and butter make this so delicious your guests will lie in bed and remember it happily all year long. You only serve this kind of dish once in a very long while, so the caloric intake is moderated. If your meal has too many sweet potatoes, see the variation for turnip gratin.

Although it would be years before most Greek cooking would become familiar to Americans, one Greek dish, moussaka, did catch on in the seventies.

You just cannot do this one wrong. You don't have to drain the sauerkraut. You don't even brown the ribs; they brown without your help. The recipe was handed down to Camille MacKusick by her father-in-law, from the family archives. All sorts of magical juices ooze out of everything. When the last finger is licked and the last lip smacked, everyone will weep.

In this recipe, a casserole dish stands in for the traditional tagine. Serve with couscous or an Israeli salad of tomato, cucumber, and sweet onion.

Offer a colorful side of steamed broccoli with slivers of red and yellow bell peppers and a lemon dressing. Finish lavishly with chocolate pecan pie à la mode.

This recipe originally accompanied Crown Roast of Pork with Apple and Pork Stuffing and Cider Gravy . Part of the terrific stuffing is used to fill the crown roast of pork, and the rest is baked alongside. But if you are making the stuffing to go with other meats, simply bake all of it in a shallow baking dish until a meat thermometer registers 155°F.

In France puréed potatoes are mixed with a local cow's-milk cheese known as Tomme Fraîche de Cantal. We've substituted fresh mozzarella — widely available in the States — to give the dish a similar consistency.

The pile of raw fresh chard may look daunting, but don't worry: It cooks down to about two cups. As a meatless main course, the casserole will serve six.

Serve polenta alongside this dish, which is also nice spooned over pasta or onto French rolls to make hero sandwiches.