105 plate recipes

Fast fruit plate with sliced bananas, strawberries, kiwi, oranges, pineapple, and peaches under a sweetened cream cheese and whipped cream topping. Ready in 20 minutes, no cooking required.

A big beef rump roast braised low and slow with dried pinto beans, green peppers, and onions in a tangy tomato-vinegar sauce with brown sugar and thyme. Feeds 10 hungry folks.

Award-winning ginger cookies built on a cooked sugar-and-spice syrup base. Roll, cut, paint, or hand-mold this stiff gingerbread dough into any shape, then bake into crisp golden spice cookies.

Rhubarb raspberry platz, a Mennonite fruit dessert with a shortcake base, tart fruit filling, and buttery streusel topping. Three layers baked golden in one pan.

New Orleans seafood gumbo loaded with shrimp, hard-shell crab, and shucked oysters in a roux-thickened broth with okra and the holy trinity. Served over rice, Cajun style.

Classic double-crust apple pie with cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh lemon juice in a buttery pate brisee shell. Three pounds of Northern Spy or McIntosh apples baked golden and bubbling.

Creamy sour cream custard studded with tender Granny Smith apples, topped with buttery cinnamon crumble and served with fluffy ginger whipped cream.

A savory dish that brings memories of India into your kitchen and onto your dinner plate.

Creamy polenta loaded with Italian sausage, mushrooms, red pepper, ricotta, Gruyere, and Parmesan, set in a pie plate and baked into golden wedges. A make-ahead Italian showpiece.

German braised red cabbage with bratwurst, simmered low and slow with Granny Smith apples, caraway, and a sweet-tart hit of vinegar and currant jelly. A classic Oktoberfest plate of silky ruby cabbage and juicy sausage.

Tzimmes with beef brisket and carrots simmered in a brown sugar broth, thickened with an einbren of browned flour and schmaltz. A traditional Jewish holiday stew that's sweet and savory.

Along the coast of the Southern US eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a year filled with luck and prosperity. The beans symbolize coins or pennies. Sometimes a penny is added to the pot or can be left under the bowls of Hoppin' John. Greens such as Collards, chard or kale can be added and symbolize the color of money and are said to add to ones wealth in the new year. The day after New Year's Day the leftovers are called "Skippin' Jenny," and further demonstrates one's frugality. A common tradition in the south US is each person at the meal should leave three peas on their plate to ensure the New Year will be filled with Luck, Fortune and Romance. Another tradition holds that counting the number of peas in a serving predicts the amount of luck (or wealth) that will be collected over the next year.

Herbed pork cutlets with Greek vegetable salad, cucumber yogurt, and couscous. A complete Mediterranean dinner plate with a lemon-oregano marinade that does triple duty.

Grilled chicken salad with blanched asparagus, sugar snaps, and snow peas over a fresh strawberry-balsamic dressing and toasted almonds. A springtime dinner salad that feels like a restaurant plate.

Herb-crusted cod fillets coated in fresh cilantro, chives, and parsley breadcrumbs, then roasted and served over a silky roasted tomato-garlic sauce with balsamic. Clean flavors, high-impact plate.

Old-fashioned pickled beets in a sweet cinnamon, clove, and allspice syrup with apple cider vinegar and lemon slices. A classic pantry staple that brightens any plate.