Every entree recipe on the site, in one place. Nine so far, one from each of nine countries, and every one of them built on the same four part frame: a protein in the center, a starch to carry the sauce, a vegetable for contrast, and a sauce that ties the plate together.
On this site an entree means the main course, the North American sense of the word. In France and much of the rest of the world an entree is the starter, which is why the term causes so much confusion. Here it is always the big plate.
The Four Components
Learn the frame once and you can read any main course on any menu, and build your own without a recipe.
- Protein. The centerpiece the plate is named and priced around, usually 5 to 8 oz cooked. It sets the cooking method and the flavor direction.
- Starch. Potatoes, rice, grains, pasta, or bread. It makes the plate a meal and gives the sauce a soft place to land.
- Vegetable. Color, freshness, and acidity to keep the plate from being heavy. Often one cooked and one raw or pickled.
- Sauce. Concentrated flavor, moisture, and gloss. Usually the last thing on the plate and often the thing that makes it.
The Entrees
- Steak Frites with Peppercorn Sauce, France, a seared strip steak with twice cooked fries and a brandy peppercorn pan sauce
- Chicken Piccata, Italy, thin chicken cutlets in a lemon caper butter sauce over orzo
- Salmon Teriyaki, Japan, salmon lacquered in a scratch teriyaki glaze with short grain rice
- Chicken Tikka Masala, India, charred yogurt marinated chicken in a spiced tomato cream gravy over basmati
- Carne Asada, Mexico, citrus marinated skirt steak grilled hot with cilantro lime rice and salsa verde
- Lamb Tagine, Morocco, lamb shoulder braised low with carrots, chickpeas and apricots over couscous
- Pad Krapow, Thailand, minced pork stir fried with chili and basil over jasmine rice with a fried egg
- Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Potatoes, Greece, lemon oregano chicken skewers with Greek potatoes and tzatziki
- Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri, Argentina, grilled flank sliced against the grain under a raw herb sauce with crushed potatoes
The Part That Matters: Contrast
A plate of four soft, rich, beige things is a bad entree even if each part is cooked well. The frame works because the components are chosen to fight each other a little: a crisp skinned fish over a soft starch, a sharp raw salsa against charred beef, a cool yogurt sauce next to a hot spiced curry. Pick the protein first, then choose the other three to give it texture, temperature, and acidity it does not have on its own.
Build Your Own
Once the four parts are second nature, a weeknight dinner stops needing a recipe. Sear a chicken thigh, boil some rice, roast whatever vegetable is in the drawer, and make a five minute pan sauce from the fond. That is an entree, and it is the same move as every dish on this page.
More Recipe Guides
Appetizers, Salads, Side Dishes, Soups and Chowders, Sauces and Condiments, Marinades, and the full recipe collection.
Who Is Writing This
Chef Alan Guerin spent 35 years in professional kitchens, from fine dining rooms to hotels and catering, and earned the Four Diamond distinction six times. He built Wine Drop Cookery to put that experience into plain guides anyone can cook from. More about Chef Alan.