Sear

Cornmeal adds a nice crispness to the coating for the chicken. The salsa and the Three-Pepper Slaw with Chipotle Dressing make this a colorful entrée. For drinks, mix up some tequila-lime spritzers by combining a little tequila with fresh lime juice and sparkling water, or uncork a bottle of dry Gewürztraminer.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. No oil is needed to sauté these steaks—the juices from the meat mix with the salt to form a delicious crusty coating that prevents them from sticking to the pan.

Pair this dish with white rice pilaf made with chopped dried apples.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

Union Square Cafe guests are constantly challenging us to serve salmon in new and different guises, and here's one of the most popular ones we've done to date. Salmon is rich and meaty enough to stand up to the assertive chili rub; the trick to this dish is to cook the salmon gently enough to prevent the spices from burning. At the restaurant, we use New Mexico chili powder, which we prize for its fruity, smoky aroma and mild heat level. Buy it if you see it.

"As a kid, I'd accompany my mother to her job at the racetrack, where she would lead the horses out to the starting gate," writes Michael Hunter of Studio City, California. "Eventually I was helping out in the stalls, and when I got older, I became a jockey. My mother was also the person who, in a roundabout way, inspired my other passion: cooking. I'd come home from school, and she would have prepared something from a box or can. I didn't always like what was on the dinner table, so one day I asked her to buy me a cookbook. Pretty soon I was making dinner for us almost every night. Now, after seventeen years of racing horses and cooking for family and friends, I'm making the jump to professional cooking."

(Thon Poêlé et "Mariné," Vinaigrette d'Olives Noires) A sophisticated starter from chef Guy Savoy.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Also try the flavored mayonnaise on roast beef or ham sandwiches.

Using a marinade like this one is a good way to add flavor and richness to food without adding too many calories. Serve the tuna with steamed rice, and offer Japanese beer or iced jasmine tea to drink.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A simple and sensational starter.

Beef roasted in a kosher salt crust is tender and juicy. Once removed from the oven, the meat will remain hot for up to an hour.

Here's a quick and delicious version of a French-inspired dish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.