5 Ingredients or Fewer

The chive butter is a breeze to make, and it works overtime: First it's used to baste the shrimp, later it becomes the sauce.

Happy birthday to us—and what better way to celebrate than with our very own cocktail?

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Seduced by Bacon. To read more about the book, click here. These salmon fillets are a great main course when you want something special and don't have a lot of time. They are super-easy and quick to make as well as delicious. . . . There are some fine ready-made sauces, called Chinese barbecue sauce, in Asian markets and even on supermarket shelves.

Audrey Saunders, owner Pegu Club, in Manhattan, uses this grenadine in several cocktails, including the Jack Rose, which was featured as a Cocktail of the Month.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month. Click here to learn more about the Jack Rose.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, click here. This giant round of crisp cookie topped with large clump of streusel is a specialty of Mantua, Italy. It's perfect served with a bunch of grapes at the end of a dinner party. Set it in the center of the table and let guests break off pieces.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Greg Case's and Keri Fisher's One Cake, One Hundred Desserts. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, click here. One of the best things about this mousse is that it's very simple, with only a handful of ingredients and a few steps. Yet the mousse is so versatile—not to mention so tasty—you'll soon find yourself whipping some up to fill a graham cracker crust for chocolate mousse pie, or to serve on its own, topped with some fresh raspberries for an elegant dessert. Or you could just eat it right out of the bowl with a soupspoon, as we do. Be careful when combining the chocolate and the whipped cream. Whipping the cream adds lots of air and volume to it, and overworking it when adding to the chocolate will allow all that air to escape (and then you'll have chocolate sauce, not mousse.

Bacon and scallops always pair beautifully, but it's the mixture of sugar and spice that transforms these easy-to-make hors d'oeuvres.

Who cares what is in this cocktail? The name sold me when I read it in Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930). This is one of many variations.

As with tomatoes, the profusion of heirloom varieties of potatoes at farmers' markets has helped us rediscover them as a seasonal ingredient in a rainbow of flavors, colors, and textures. This recipe is the perfect vehicle for trying any number of them. Nutty, creamy La Ratte fingerlings are a favorite of French chefs. German Butterballs, as their name suggests, are soft and buttery. For even cooking, choose potatoes that are about the same size.

Don't add salt to the fried eggs or arugula—the pancetta and cheese are salty and add plenty of flavor.

Rettichsalat The large white radish is an indispensable ingredient of a typical Bavarian Brotzeit (hearty snack), which many outdoor beer gardens still allow their patrons to bring along. For that occasion, the radish is simply cut into very thin slices and sprinkled with a bit of salt. Here is the recipe for radish salad, a Bavarian classic that requires minimum preparation.

While 17th-century English diners had never heard of the word "appetizer," they certainly understood the idea of foods served in several large courses for formal or court dinners. For modern diners, however, this lovely 17th-century mussel recipe makes a perfect first course. After months of eating a sea diet of dried peas, oats, and salt meats, the passengers on the Mayflower were delighted to find mussels when they first made landing on Cape Cod. They were abundant and easily gathered. This recipe is adapted from Thomas Dawson, The Second Part of the Good Huswives Jewell, 1597.

This recipe comes from John Josselyn, an early traveler to New England. Stewed pumpkin was common, everyday fare—a "standing dish"—particularly in the fall and winter.

_Biftek à la Parrilla This recipe is excerpted from Shirley Lomax Brooks's book Argentina Cooks! We've also added some tips of our own below. This recipe uses only two ingredients for the marinade, yet the results belie the simplicity. Of course, steak is at its best when it is well marbled. Cuts such as beef filet, New York steak, porterhouse, or T-bone are recommended. _