5 Ingredients or Fewer

Camper English, a San Francisco–based writer, developed this adaptation of a classic drink recipe to showcase the use of absinthe, but Ernest Hemingway gets credit for the recipe. His advice, circa 1935: "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly." We recommend drinking fewer than five. You may also try pouring the absinthe on top instead—some brands of absinthe will float for a time on the Champagne, and this makes for a nifty visual effect.

Camper English, a San Francisco–based writer, adapted this classic drink recipe to showcase the use of absinthe. Here, absinthe is paired with orgeat, an almond-flavored syrup. The egg white and cream give the drink a frothy, milkshake-like texture. (If salmonella is a problem in your area, omit the egg white or substitute pasteurized liquid egg whites.) In New Orleans, many people consider this a breakfast drink.

Rich and crunchy, these almonds are prepared like Spain’s Marcona variety: cooked in oil and generously salted.

Brown butter makes broccolini almost decadent.

Vin Santo is an Italian dessert wine. If you can't find it, use sweet Marsala.

Meet the latke's larger, Swiss cousin: the Rösti. This recipe makes two giant potato cakes; if you want to serve them at the same time, you’ll need to use two skillets (heavy ones produce the crispest results).

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix that includes sesame seeds, sumac, dried thyme, and dried marjoram. It’s available at specialty foods stores and Middle Eastern markets and from adrianascaravan.com.

Simple and beautiful. If you can’t find small carrots, use medium ones, halved and cut into five-inch pieces.

The traditional latke accompaniment is amped up with fragrant rosemary and nutty brown butter.

Put out several flavors of ice cream and let guests help you by making their own desserts!

This recipe is from Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City. For this classic cocktail, essentially a gin sour with a cherry garnish, Freeman believes that the quality of the ingredients is paramount. He prefers Maraska maraschino liqueur, which has a cleaner and less funky flavor than other brands, and he replaces the traditional, artificially flavored maraschino cherry with a homemade version. For instructions on making homemade maraschino cherries, see the bartender's note, below, or simply substitute a pitted fresh cherry.

In this recipe, the potatoes are boiled, gently flattened in a kitchen towel, brushed with oil, and grilled. The result? Potatoes that are creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Tomatoes at the peak of flavor need only fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few minutes on a hot grill.

Six ingredients yield big dividends. Be sure to use a good-quality fruity olive oil.