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You know what the world needs more of? Savory cheesecakes. I've done my fair share of them for my weekly meals, and if you've been on the list for long enough, you already know. This week's FRENCH ONION & GRUYERE SAVORY CHEESECAKE is something I've been planning for a while, and it'll be the newest member of our all-star savory cheesecake team. How's it work? Simple really, though not easy. I'll caramelize a gigantic pile of onions to concentrate their flavor and make them great, hit them with just the right subtle seasonings, fold that into my savory cheesecake base, add in shredded gruyere and herbs, and bake that on top of a very-American ritz cracker crust. We would be in a good spot at this point, but we can be in a GREAT spot with some black pepper creme fraiche to dollop on top of the cheesecake, so I'll be doing that too. Do you like french onion soup? Of course you do. Do you like french onion dip? Of course you do. Will you like this french onion cheesecake? OF COURSE YOU WILL.

What ever happened to simple salads that were just great? Nowadays salads are either sad and forgettable, or designed to be a whole meal. There's nothing wrong with a whole meal salad, but the sad forgettable versions do not get a pass with me. This week's SHREDDED SUPPER CLUB SALAD will be that simple, great salad that I'm imagining, and will not be forgettable or sad. Simplicity is key here, so we're going with shredded iceberg and romaine lettuce, celery, carrots, and radishes. Then the part that ties it all together, an ever-so-slightly creamy mild dijon vinaigrette. This is certainly a "side dish", but one that adds a tasty fresh brightness and makes the other dishes on this week's menu even better.

There's an old-ish American dish called Chicken Madeira. It sounds vaguely Portuguese, and it would probably offend Portuguese people. But what do they know anyway, this is American food! The "original" version served at classic Americana places features an overcooked chicken breast with a surprisingly tasty madeira gravy, mushrooms, and shredded cheese melted on top (probably to account for the chicken dryness.) But if we took that dish and fixed the major sticking points, we'd be left with my UN-TRADITIONAL CHICKEN MADEIRA. We'll start with slow-poached chicken breast that's anything but dry, cook that with deep, savory madeira-mushroom demiglace, then finish things off with parmesan breadcrumbs instead of the goopy cheese, and serve that over some simple buttered egg noodles. This dish takes the classic and keeps its soul, but makes a few small changes to result in something that's truly worthy of its classic fame.

It's SPRING, which means asparagus is on the menu. Keeping with the overall feel of our menu this week, we don't want something that's too gussied up or overly fancy... we just want great asparagus that holds its own with the other menu items this week. SPRING ASPARAGUS & RED PEPPER VINAIGRETTE fits the bill perfectly. Flash-blanched asparagus, simple seasonings, and some excellent olive oil, served with a zippy red pepper vinaigrette on the side. Great asparagus, great dressing, that's the whole story.

Has anyone seen a grasshopper cocktail on a menu any time recently? I haven't, and I'm a little sad about that. Brownies cure sadness, so OLD-SCHOOL GRASSHOPPER BROWNIES sounds like just the thing. Fudgy dark chocolate brownies, topped with a shockingly green creme de menthe buttercream and grated dark chocolate along with a dusting of dutch cocoa. Chocolate and mint is a flavor combination that's hard to argue with, but who wants to even argue when you've got these brownies?