Main Dish Recipes

Fresh Willapa Bay oysters baked on the half shell with cognac-green peppercorn butter, fresh herbs, and melted Gruyere. A showstopping Pacific Northwest appetizer ready in 30 minutes.

Deep-fried turkey injected with a spicy pepper butter that seasons the bird from the inside out. The same butter mixture doubles as a baste for an oven-roasted version.

Baked rigatoni with Swiss, fontina, and mozzarella in a rich cream sauce topped with parmigiano and nutmeg. Golden, bubbly, and irresistibly cheesy.

Baked Parmesan chicken strips coated in a homemade bread crumb, parsley, and Parmigiano-Reggiano crust. Buttery, golden chicken basted in pan drippings until tender.

Noodles and cabbage: a rustic Italian Alpine-style baked casserole layering fettuccine with savoy cabbage, potatoes, melted soft cheese, and brown butter perfumed with sage. Vegetarian comfort food from the mountains.

Delicate crepes filled with poached scallops and scrod in a curried cream sauce with chutney, carrots, and peas. Folded into triangles and baked until warm. French technique meets Indian spice in every bite.

Grilled grouper marinated in olive oil, lemon, and garlic, topped with a garlic beurre rouge sauce of tomatoes, green chilies, cilantro, and butter.

Spaghetti tossed with crisp bacon, beaten eggs, and grated cheese in a butter and white wine sauce. The heat of the just-drained pasta cooks the eggs into a silky, no-cream carbonara-style coating. A fast pantry dinner.

Savory baked apples stuffed with brandy-seasoned pork and veal, topped with spinach, and served on a pool of port wine sauce. An elegant French-inspired autumn main course.

Lobster stir-fried in sesame and chili oil, tossed with angel hair pasta, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, bell peppers, and a rich soy butter sauce. Restaurant-level wow factor at home.

Pork cutlets with smothered parmesan green beans pairs fast-seared pork with frenched green beans braised slow in shallots, white wine, cream, and sage. A one-skillet dinner.

Twice baked potato casserole gives you all the stuffed-potato flavor with none of the scooping hassle. Russet flesh baked with sour cream, bacon, cubed and grated cheddar, and green onions.

Osso buco braises veal shanks low and slow in white wine, soffritto and tomato until the meat slips off the bone. A bright lemon-parsley gremolata cuts the richness, served over the reduced pan juices.

Butter-seared pork loin with a tangy blackberry gastrique and fresh mango-mint salsa. A restaurant-quality dish with bright, fruity contrast in just 30 minutes.

Devil's food refers to a dark, dense, chocolate concoction that is usually baked. It is so named because since it is so rich and delicious it must be "sinful." Devil's food usually has a greater proportion of chocolate than regular chocolate cake. This recipe comes from Lynne , a chef who owns the Victoria House Bed & Breakfast in Spring Lake, NJ. For a gourmet B&B check them out at .net.

Classic French steak au poivre with tri-color peppercorn crust, cognac flambe, and rich cream pan sauce. Restaurant-quality pepper steak in under 30 minutes for an elegant dinner.