Favorite holiday dishes: recipes from our readers, tested in Sunset's kitchen

Sunset, Nov, 2004 by David Prince

1. In a large bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, and mayonnaise until well blended. Add celery root, pear, radicchio, trout, and green onions and mix to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Spoon salad onto plates and sprinkle almonds on top, or mix in almonds and serve salad from bowl.

Per serving: 337 cal., 67% (225 cal.) from fat; 16 g protein; 25 g fat (3.1 g sat.); 16 g carbo (4.4 g fiber); 695 mg sodium; 11 mg chol.

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How to roast chiles

Roasting and peeling chiles and bell peppers are basic kitchen techniques that are especially handy in Latin American and Italian cooking. Large, mild chiles such as poblanos, in particular, are often roasted and peeled before they're used, as they are in the Poblano Gravy and Cauliflower Gratin in our Thanksgiving menu (pages 131 and 133). Here's how to do it.

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* Place chiles (or bell peppers) in a baking pan. Broil 4 inches from heat. Or place chiles or peppers on a barbecue grill 4 inches above a solid bed of hot coals or over high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level for only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill.

* Broil or grill, turning chiles or peppers as needed, until blistered all over and blackened in spots, 8 to 12 minutes total. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

* Pull tough peels off chiles or peppers; pull off stems and scrape out seeds. Discard peels, stems, and seeds. Cut chiles into strips or small pieces, following recipe instructions.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID PRINCE