Food Processor

One of the most popular flavors in gelaterie in Italy is crema, a simple frozen custard unenhanced by any flavoring. It has a rich, yellow color due to the brightness of the yolks of Italian corn-fed chickens.

Egg fettuccine, rather than regular durum pasta, makes all the difference in this dish. It's usually sold curled in nests or loose in trays. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 45 min

The Spanish sauce known as romesco is usually high in fat; this version contains less oil, but just as much flavor.

Chef Ian Algerø‸en of Skadi restaurant serves this side dish with duck. It's also terrific with roast pork or Cornish game hens.

I didn't grow up eating pork, so I was pleased to find out how lean and flavorful it was when I made this roast loin of pork. I cooked it the way I cook lots of meats — roasted with carrots, potatoes, and fennel. It's important to let meat rest after it's cooked; you'll find that all meats become juicier and more tender after 15 to 20 minutes. The rub on this comes from my dear friend Anna Pump and her wonderful Loaves and Fishes Cookbook.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Mushroom Tortellini in Mushroom Broth . Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

"When a friend celebrated her birthday at El Teddy's in New York City's TriBeCa, I really enjoyed trying the innovative dishes there," says Thea DeSando of New York, New York. "But the one thing I couldn't get enough of was the salsa—smoky and full of tomato flavor. Is there any way you can get the recipe?"

Here's a good example of Thomas Keller's culinary magic: Simple flavors come together spectacularly in this special dish from The French Laundry in Napa Valley.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

"On a trip to Longboat Key in Florida, my fiancé and I ate at Pattigeorge's," writes Wendy J. Harbart of Forest Hills, New York. "The five-spice calamari was out of this world."

The recipe for this "sugar tart," a Belgian classic, comes from Auberge du Moulin Hideux. Similar to a rustic coffee cake, this treat is lovely for brunch or as an afternoon snack with coffee or tea.

We recommend using the freshest watercress possible — if not at its best, it can give the sauce a slightly bitter taste. (Try hydroponic watercress; it's generally better than conventionally grown supermarket cress.) Tanis suggests skimming all the fat from the cooking liquid and serving the broth as a first-course soup, garnished with toasted slices of French bread.

Tomatillos are the key ingredient in this alluring green sauce. They have an unusual and pleasant tartness that works well with a variety of dishes. I pair this mojo with a grand Fish in Foil . The sauce has the brightness of a lemon with the attendant complexity you'd expect of the other ingredients that go into making it.

All the appeal of traditional mincemeat pie—without all of the traditional work.

Roasted bell peppers, prosciutto, and olives are added to the classic Italian trio of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Serve with plenty of crusty country bread.

Canned red bean paste is an acceptable product, but the homemade kind is obviously much tastier. In Chinese markets, you'll find small, plump dried red beans called _hoong dul,_not to be confused with adzuki beans, _zeck siu dul,_also small red beans that are oblong in shape. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of red bean paste, just enough filling for Sesame Balls. Use regular brown sugar for this recipe.

This cake can be prepared one day ahead. Sweetened cream of coconut is available in the liquor section of most supermarkets.