Recipes with shallots

Grilled trout with olive butter: butterflied whole trout marinated in Pernod and finished with a chive-flecked compound butter of black olives, shallot, and parsley. A French Provencal-style fish dinner.

Yam Polamai is a Thai fruit and shrimp salad with lime, crispy shallots, garlic, peanuts, and chile. Sweet, salty, sour, and crunchy in every bite.

Crisp asparagus spears meet charred red peppers and tangy goat cheese in this vibrant spring salad. Fresh shallots and garlic-spiked vinaigrette bring the whole thing together in under 10 minutes.

Indonesian chicken sateh skewers marinated in lemongrass, garlic, and curry, grilled over fire and drenched in a silky coconut-peanut sauce with fish sauce and lime.

Herb crusted chicken breasts with a 7-herb spice crust, pan-sautéed in butter and topped with a make-ahead Dijon and coarse-grain mustard compound butter. Ready in 30 minutes.

Earthy mushrooms, tender asparagus, and tangy feta bake into fluffy egg whites for a veggie-packed frittata that's ready in 35 minutes.

Ayam Panggang Mesanten features charcoal-grilled chicken sliced and simmered in a coconut milk sauce with shrimp paste, red chiles, shallots, and lemongrass. Smoky, fiery, and deeply savory Indonesian grilling.

Paillard of fresh fish with salsa beurre blanc: firm fish pounded ultra-thin, broiled 2 minutes, and topped with a French butter sauce spiked with salsa fresca. Ready in 20 minutes.

Cannelloni stuffed with crawfish, crab, Italian sausage, and a four-cheese ricotta blend, baked under a slow-simmered tomato sauce with jalapeños. Where Cajun meets Italian and everybody wins.

Turning now to cooking with cheese, here's a recipe for a yummy spinach and cheese soufflé. This recipe comes from Lynne Kaplan, a chef who owns the Victoria House Bed & Breakfast in Spring Lake, NJ. For a gourmet B&B check them out at victoriahouse.net.

Grilled Venison Chop with Chestnut Twice Baked Potato recipe

Sautéed chicken cutlets with asparagus, spring onions, saffron, and a parsley-tarragon-citrus gremolata. A restaurant-style spring dinner that builds big flavor in a single skillet in 30 minutes.

Olive Garden spaghetti carbonara copycat: thick-cut bacon and sautéed mushrooms tossed with spaghetti and a creamy béchamel-Parmesan sauce. The American-Italian chain version, no raw eggs required.

Crispy deep-fried Thai spring rolls stuffed with seasoned pork, shrimp, bean thread noodles, and crunchy veggies, served with a tangy peanut-chile dipping sauce. The ultimate party appetizer.

Crisp steamed asparagus on baby lettuce with toasted hazelnuts and a tarragon-Dijon vinaigrette made with hazelnut oil. An elegant make-ahead salad or appetizer.

Filipino-inspired beef short ribs braised in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic until fork-tender, then seared for a crispy crust. Served over blanched spinach for a hearty, tangy one-plate meal.