Apple

Kari and Brian Chase of St. Paul, Minnesota say that their neighborhood has a great restaurant: 128 Cafe. The last time they were there they tried a delicious appetizer of crisp bread with roasted garlic, goat cheese and apple chutney.

We chose Golden Delicious apples because they are available everywhere, but you can use locally grown heirloom varieties from your farmers' market instead. Just be sure to ask which ones are best for baking.

"My grandmother was a reporter in New York before she got married and moved to Montana to start a new life on a ranch," writes Joyce Litz of Albuquerque, New Mexico. "At the time she didn't know how to cook, and learning wasn't easy — the place didn't even have running water. Still, she appreciated good food, so she persevered and became a great cook. Later my grandmother taught me ranch-style cooking, a lot of which involved getting simple but flavorful, hearty meals ready in a hurry." Boost the payoff with a scoop of ice cream.

Make this a day ahead for the best flavor.

Use firm, dense apples such as Granny Smith, Fuji, or Pippin, which will hold their shape when cooked. Fresh ginger gives this sauce its gentle bite—don’t substitute the ground kind.

You can make the crab mixture and beet purée ahead of time, but don’t assemble these hors d'oeuvres until just before serving or the apple slices will discolor.

This recipe makes more chutney than you'll need for the corn bread rounds see the leftovers as a condiment for cheese and crackers or for roasted meats. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

This delicious stuffing is similar to a savory bread pudding. It's best baked alongside, rather than inside, the bird.

This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.

This chutney is well worth the 1-month wait it takes for the spices to mellow. Try it with grilled shrimp or fish, or on grilled chicken or cheese sandwiches. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 31/2 hr (plus 1 month for flavors to develop)

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Instead of serving coffee, alter the usual dessert routine by offering a glass of Cognac or dry Sherry with these apples.

Cremini mushrooms or their mature form, portobellos—or both—can be used in this side dish from Cory Schreiber's new cookbook, Wildwood: Cooking from the Source in the Pacific Northwest (Ten Speed Press).

A French classic gets a little twist from Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro in New York.

You can bake this apple oatmeal crumble (with the oven rack in the upper third of the oven) and roast the tomatoes (on the rack in the lower third) for this low-fat menu at the same time.

This dish, or some form thereof, can be found in most Scandinavian countries. The apples and prunes are usually stuffed inside the pork roast, but here we've put them in the sauce.