White Wine

Though coq au vin made with red wine is perhaps the best-known incarnation of the French dish in this country, most regions of France have unique versions that take advantage of local wines. Alsace's dry Riesling lends a gentle richness to this creamy, comforting meal.

This dish takes the best of traditional choucroute garni—smoked pork married to sauerkraut that's had its bite removed by being simmered in wine with bay and juniper—and lightens it up, pairing it with another Alsatian favorite, trout, and transforming a stick-to-the-ribs dish into something fit for a first course. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how the slight acidity of the kraut and the smokiness of the bacon play up, rather than dominate, the fish's clean flavor.

Everybody is familiar with lamb chops and leg of lamb—but how about the shoulder? When is that used? Well, here I give you the recipe for a roasted lamb shoulder—and you will see why it is my favorite cut for roasting. The meat is sweeter on the blade bone, and, with lots of cartilage to melt during roasting, the meat is finger-sticking good. You might not get a clean, precise cut of meat from the shoulder, but it will be delicious.

This simple apricot-based condiment tastes as bright and sunny as it looks. Spread it on toast like a homemade jam, stir some into yogurt or a vinaigrette, or use it as a filling for white or génoise layer cakes.

This braised pork, absolutely falling apart from its lengthy cooking, would be a hit at any time of day. "Spoon it over creamy stone-ground grits or a hot, split spoon-bread muffin," Peacock suggests.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico! I serve this traditional side dish as an antipasto. Guess what? I like it more as a small plate to kick off a meal than as a side. On the other hand, you could serve this in larger amounts as a side dish or even instead of a pasta course. And because the ragu is even better the second day, I make a lot, so you will have leftovers. Soft polenta, blended with plenty of cheese and butter, is lusciously creamy and becomes the delicious base for the meaty mushroom and sausage ragu. This is a terrific start to a fall meal of fish and a salad. Polenta may be yellow or white; I prefer yellow because of its color and slightly earthy, intense flavor.

When was the last time you had a traditional, everything-from-scratch bisque? The rarity of an execution this loving, along with those succulent lumps of meat, guarantees groans of pleasure at the Christmas table. The intensely crabby finishing touch, with its base akin to drawn butter, will delight veteran crustacean eaters.

Anchovy paste might seem like a strange addition here, but it's a handy ingredient that can perform amazing feats even when used in tiny amounts.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Alice Waters's book The Art of Simple Food. This especially satisfying one-pan dish is delicious served with soft polenta, mashed potatoes, or shell beans. Good choices for the green olives are unpitted Lucques or Picholines.

Though traditionalists may insist that making cassoulet is an all-day affair, this hearty version-cooked with country-style spareribs, the meaty ones located closest to the pork shoulder-can be made in under 3 hours.

Rosé wine with fresh fruit adds the right touch to this spiced-up menu.

Classic Italian stock vegetables enhance this amber-gold broth for an unbeatable gravy that really complements the turkey.

Mushroom fans, this one's for you: a hearty rosemary-bread dressing made with dried porcini as well as shiitake and button mushrooms.

Fingerlings have a particularly earthy quality that tastes of the essence of potato. Steaming them, rather than boiling, preserves their delicate shape and prevents them from becoming waterlogged, so that the simple dressing really comes through.

This recipe was created by chef Geraldine Ferraro of the Four Swallows Restaurant on Bainbridge Island in Washington. It's part of a special menu she created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

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Clams cooked in the shell pop open on the grill, just like they do when steamed. And there's a bonus for the cook: No big, heavy pot is needed.

This side, originally 575 calories and 26 grams of fat, was a meal in itself. SELF cut 277 calories and 17 grams of fat.