5 Ingredients or Fewer

The prototype for this wonderfully tangy sorbet was discovered in Hua Hin, Thailand, where we tasted a hibiscus sorbet made by chef David Bedinghaus at the Anantara Resort & Spa.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Potato, Pepper, and Chorizo Empanadas .

This dough is based on one from Chris Bianco, chef of Pizzeria Bianco, that ran in our October 1999 issue. It is an accompaniment for Eggplant, Tomato, and Fontina Pizza .

This classic pastry dough works well for both savory and sweet pies.

Truffles are pressure-cooked during the canning process, which causes them to release some of their water content. Using just a bit of this truffle juice in a vinaigrette will impart a delicious woodsy flavor.

This delicate salad, combining crisp celery and tender fresh porcini, grew out of the memories of two food editors — Zanne Stewart and Alexis Touchet — of similar ones they had enjoyed at restaurants in Italy. (Surprisingly, they were in different regions and traveling 20 years apart.)

The leftover cooking liquid makes the perfect base for a soup or white sauce. This recipe is an accompaniment for Rack of Lamb and Roasted Cabbage with Cauliflower and Date Purées .

This recipe is an accompaniment for Rack of Lamb and Roasted Cabbage with Cauliflower and Date Purées .

We are always wowed by how complex in both flavor and texture hand-milled grits are compared to their supermarket counterpart, which we don't recommend for this particular recipe. Grits are best when freshly cooked, but if you're making an entire menu, you'll probably want to prepare them the day before (see cooks' note, below). We suggest storing raw grits in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook them.

For Kill Bill, Uma Thurman had 10 weeks to lose 50 post-baby pounds. "I was being trained from every angle. Nine to five, five days a week. Every part of me hurt," she says. Easier to take: no-deprivation diet changes that Jackie Keller, founder of L.A. food-delivery service NutriFit, masterminded. Her dried-fruit nougats satisfied Thurman's chocolate yen.

The trick: Give it a rub.
Outside spa land, great crusts usually come by way of the deep fryer. Inside spa kitchens, however, chefs know that by massaging fresh herbs, dried chiles, and other spices onto the outside of meat or fish before searing it in a hot pan, you can create a flavorful "skin" without any fat. Scott Uehlein, corporate chef at Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona, went for sweet and spicy when he developed these Moroccan-Spiced Beef Medallions. They call for lean tenderloin (ask for 0" trim), which delivers iron, zinc, and B12. You can also go Tuscan (basil, oregano, rosemary) or Provençal (lavender, sage, thyme). Just follow your taste buds.