American

Set out black beans, rice, lettuce, salsa and hot flour tortillas to go with the chicken.

A thick puree of fresh peaches is added to the rich custard ice cream base. The ice cream can be made up to three days ahead.

"When I was a kid, corn was often served with the turkey dinner in our house," says Jim Fobel, cookbook author. "Even though corn season was over, my mom thought that it seemed appropriate for the meal. Here, I've used corn to make little pancakes. The good news is that they can be made a day ahead and then rewarmed in the oven just before serving."

This is a surefire Southern way to use leftover ham and either leftover or freshly baked biscuits. Sometimes the biscuits are large and the ham pieces merely roughly cut chunks. In this recipe the biscuits are made the size of silver dollars, the ham is thinly sliced and neatly trimmed, and the biscuits are served with tiny dollops of spicy mustard and freshly grated horseradish. Voilà! The "grab 'em and go" breakfast treat that has been imitated by many popular food chains is transmuted into an elegant hors d'oeuvre. Large or small, they're mighty good eating. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Silver dollar - size biscuits are the quintessential African-American breakfast bread. They can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe was created to accompany Garlic Dijon Skirt Steak. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In keeping with the tradition of southern desserts, this pie is sweet. Dr. Stallworth uses buttermilk in the filling to provide a hint of tang, but northerners may want to accentuate it even more by adding a tablespoon of fresh lemon or lime juice to the filling.

Tart apples and sweet ones come together in this all-American favorite.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 4 hr (includes chilling)

"At the restaurant Mimosa, the food, service, and ambiance transform a night in Los Angeles into an evening in Paris," says Michele Winkler of Sherman Oaks, California. "There, we had a delectable roast pork that was succulent on the inside, with a marvelous crust. We would love to prepare it at home." You can order the inexpensive "Boston" roast called for in this recipe from your butcher. In late-18th-century New England, some pork cuts were packed into casks or barrels, known as "butts," for storage and shipment. The way the pork shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in some regions as "Boston butt," a moniker still used today almost everywhere in the United States, except Boston.

The colonists planted around 150 varieties of apples in New England, many of which can still be found today. Apples show up most often in a double-crust pie, but the crisp is also a superb showcase. Nothing more than fruit baked with crumbly nut, flour, sugar and butter topping, it's as simple to make as it is delicious.

For a more colorful presentation of this down-home dip, we reserved some bacon, bell pepper, scallions, and basil for garnish. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Often called black cakes, spice cakes flavored with molasses are a perennial on the southern dessert buffet.

A rich and elegant special-occasion dish.

The rich flavor of espresso is a perfect partner to the chocolate. Place each piece of fudge in a paper or foil candy cup and arrange in gift boxes lined with holiday paper.