COOK'S CORNER A LOT OF DELICIOUS RECIPES ALL IN ONE PLACE.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

Once again, Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens weigh in on what they consider the year's best recipes in their volume ``The Best American Recipes 2004-2005'' (Houghton Mifflin; $26).

This is the sixth book in the yearly series (the first one came out in 1999). The authors cull hundreds of sources - from Web sites to product packages to cookbooks, magazines and newspapers (it's like a massive culinary treasure hunt) to compile their annual collection that represents the best of American food. The more than 150 recipes in the cookbook highlight some of America's emerging trends as well as some of this country's best chefs.

``Without a doubt, 'homey' is the watchword this year,'' write the authors. ``But that doesn't mean plain - and it certainly doesn't mean boring.'' Several familiar recipes have a sophisticated global twist - like shrimp cocktail with a spicy-sweet jalapeno-lime sauce, macaroni and cheese with green chiles, popcorn focaccia, beef brisket with coffee and beef basting sauce and more.

There are plenty of new recipes along with the revival of old ones that had fallen out of favor or long been forgotten.

The authors kitchen-tested the recipes (and they noted that some that looked good on paper simply didn't deliver in the kitchen), and all meet their standards for dishes they want to make again and again. They even name their 10 favorite recipes so you won't miss them. Among them are Mac and Cheese Salad With Buttermilk Dressing and Spinach and Artichoke Casserole (both included below), along with Cinna-Myron Caramel Sweet Rolls, Cranberry Margarita, Braised Beef Short Ribs Chinese Style and more.

The book is a fascinating and fun read - and would make a great gift for the cook on your list. Several of the recipes make you want to run into the kitchen right now. Give the following sampling from the book a whirl.

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE CASSEROLE

This gem takes only about 10 minutes to prepare and is highly portable. We can't rave about it enough.

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach

9 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese at room temperature

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1/2 cup coarse Ritz cracker crumbs (about 10 crackers)

Adjust rack to middle of oven. Butter a shallow 2-quart casserole. Cook spinach according to package directions, drain well and place in mixing bowl. Add 8 tablespoons melted butter, cream cheese and lemon juice and blend well with a fork.

Scatter artichoke quarters evenly over bottom of casserole. Cover with spinach mixture, then smooth the top. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven about 25 minutes, until bubbling in center and lightly browned on the top. Let cool for about 5 minutes and serve with crackers as desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

From New York Times Magazine, a recipe by Julia Reed after her mother.

BOURBON, CHOCOLATE AND WALNUT PECAN PIE

David Rosengarten is the editor of the passionate foodie newsletter the Rosengarten Report and a veteran TV personality on the Food Network. It was on TV that he first tasted a pie like this one, made by an editor at Southern Living, and it knocked him out. It was not only the best pecan pie he'd ever eaten, it was one of the best pies of any kind. We have to agree that Rosengarten's version is stunning.

This pecan pie is not so much gooey as crunchy, with two kinds of nuts. There's also a lot of bittersweet chocolate, plus the bourbon, to give it a bit of an edge. Plenty of sugar along with the butter and eggs keep it authentic. This is the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert - a new twist on a classic that your guests will be talking about for days.

Dough for 1 pie crust, store-bought OR homemade

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

4 large eggs

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons bourbon

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Pinch ground nutmeg

Pinch ground cinnamon

8 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-inch-square chunks

Adjust rack to middle of oven. Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick, making a circle 1 inch larger than a 9-inch pie plate. Drape crust over rolling pin and carefully fit it into pie plate. Trim edge to 1/2 inch wider than rim. Fold excess under rim, on outside of plate, and crimp, pinching dough between your thumb and forefinger at 1-inch intervals.

Toast pecans and walnuts in a small saute pan over medium-high heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until evenly toasted and crisp, about 4 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients, except chocolate, and blend until mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts and chocolate. Pour and scrape mixture into pie crust.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 40 to 50 minutes, until set and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean (unless you hit a chocolaty spot). Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

From ``It's All American Food,'' by David Rosengarten.

MAC AND CHEESE SALAD WITH BUTTERMILK DRESSING

Although we're usually unimpressed by pasta salads, this inspired one from the Seattle chef Tom Douglas caught our attention. It's the creamy dressing that's so delicious, and it has an old-fashioned quality that immediately feels right, like a salad you've been eating at family picnics for decades. This is a whole new way to love mac and cheese.

The salad is almost endlessly flexible. The greens can be mache, baby spinach, young pea sprouts or arugula. In spring, blanched sliced asparagus fits right in, as do blanched fresh peas. The dressing is just as good on chilled, steamed baby red potatoes or shrimp, cucumbers and Bibb lettuce.

DRESSING:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced shallots

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

SALAD:

1 pound shaped pasta such as fusilli, farfalle OR cavatappi

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

3 ounces ricotta salata cheese (about 3/4 cup); if you can't find this cheese use pecorino Romano instead

3 cups loosely packed mache OR baby spinach

To make Dressing, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Add chives, dill, garlic, shallots and lemon juice and whisk again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make Salad, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and immediately run under cold water until it is completely cool. Drain well. Put pasta in a large bowl and, using a rubber spatula, fold in enough dressing to coat it generously. Fold in green onions, cheese and mache. Mound salad on a larger platter and serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

From ``Tom's Big Dinners,'' by Tom Douglas.

Can you help?

If you have recipes that can help this reader, please send them along to us at the address below to share in a future column.

I've lost one of my favorite recipes - Blueberry Pecan Streusel Coffeecake. It's baked in a springform pan and has a layer of fresh or frozen blueberries and pecan streusel in the center with more streusel on top. Help! Does anyone have the recipe?

- Bobbie Arentzoff, Thousand Oaks

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no caption (Cookbook: ``The Best American Recipes'')