Chicken

One diner's instructions on how to find Mrs. Wilkes': "Walk along West Jones Street until you smell fried chicken."

This Cambodian curry is traditionally made with beef, but Mao Sokhen says his American friends prefer the chicken variation. Though you can use any brand of Thai red curry paste and Asian fish sauce for this recipe, Mao likes the brands recommended below because he finds they produce a dish that is closer to classic Cambodian flavor.

A Provençal specialty, pan bagnat is literally a sandwich with "bathed bread" — that is, the loaf of bread is split and drizzled with olive oil and/or a vinaigrette before being filled with other ingredients. In this version, grilled chicken stands in for the traditional tuna. Begin these sandwiches at least four hours and up to one day before serving. Get the picnic started with a selection of cheeses, salami, and crackers. What to drink: A light red, slightly chilled, such as a Beaujolais or Bandol Rosé.

These fresh and pretty wraps fuse three different Asian influences: Chinese stir-fry, Japanese ingredients, and a Vietnamese dipping sauce.

We recommend using the freshest watercress possible — if not at its best, it can give the sauce a slightly bitter taste. (Try hydroponic watercress; it's generally better than conventionally grown supermarket cress.) Tanis suggests skimming all the fat from the cooking liquid and serving the broth as a first-course soup, garnished with toasted slices of French bread.

The origin of this dish is unknown, but it's a common menu feature of many Italo-American restaurants of the red-sauce variety. In kitchen lingo, a shoemaker is a shortcutting, skillful hack; a shoemaker cobbles things, a meal, together from the meager things on hand. In Italian, scarpa translates as "shoe" and scarpariella is slang for shoemaker. The actual name for one who plies this trade is calzolaio. In Chicken Scarpariella, a spring chicken is "hacked" up in to small pieces and quickly cooked with a few common ingredients.

The popular rum-and-mint cocktail from Cuba was the inspiration for this entrée. A last-minute spritz of grilled lime adds even more flavor. Garnish with grilled pineapple slices cut into star shapes, if desired.

Madras-style curry powder, which is spicier than the standard, adds a little heat here.

This version of a tagine, the classic Moroccan stew, calls for dark meat because it stays moist when braised. If you prefer white meat, reduce the cooking time by 15 minutes.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

This satisfying meal in a bowl is also good sprinkled with a touch of grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Chef Lisa Ahier likes the flavor of Key limes or Mexican limes, which she can buy locally and year-round, for the marinade below. But even if you use regular lime juice, you'll love this chicken, which is as delicious at room temperature as it is hot. In fact, Gourmet's food editors couldn't get enough of it.

An easy do-ahead appetizer.