Make Ahead

Whole wheat flour gives these clever cookie S'mores a graham-cracker flavor. Leave the marshmallows out for a day or two on a plate to get stale—they'll hold their shape better during baking.

A hint of sweetness makes this perfect for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It's great toasted, too.

The French version of pesto, pistou is often stirred into soupe au pistou, Provence's vegetable and bean soup. In this dish, the vegetable soup ingredients and pistou are blended together into a flavorful puree that's topped with shrimp. To serve as a main course, add a side of orzo tossed with good-quality olive oil, salt, plenty of pepper, and some grated Asiago cheese.

In this soupy, risotto-like side dish or starter, pureed parsnips and blanched carrots, parsnips, and turnips are stirred into cooked basmati rice. The parsnip puree adds luxurious richness without any cream, butter, or cheese. Serve alongside pan-grilled steaks or pork chops.

Here's a great new way to roast beets: in a salt crust. The horseradish, thyme, and orange in the crust infuse the beets with bright flavor as they're cooking. Leftover beets make a great addition to salads. Lightly coat torn butter lettuce with a Sherry wine vinaigrette, top with the sliced beets and some sliced red onion, and drizzle with a bit of the horseradish crème fraîche.

Jerusalem artichokes (also known as sunchokes) are neither artichokes nor from Jerusalem, but rather the tuber of a variety of sunflower native to America. The knobby, gnarly vegetable is often overlooked, but its sweet, nutty flavor makes it worth seeking out.

There will be very little fat in this stock, so there's no need to skim it.

Look for squash that are heavy for their size.

Roasting the meat for almost seven hours makes it tender and succulent. The bright, fresh salsa verde is the perfect accent for the rich meat.

The coffee marinade is sweetened slightly with a little maple syrup, and the sauce gets a kick thanks to a jalapeño chile.

Egg white binds the sugar and spices to the nuts.

This winter dessert is based on traditional stack-cake recipes from Appalachia. Small layers (baked in muffin tins) are sandwiched together with a jamlike apple filling to create individual desserts that are unlike any cake you've come across.

While this little square cake may appear modest, its caramel flavor drew everyone in our test kitchens back for seconds and even thirds. Buttermilk lends a subtle tang and tenderizes the yellow cake, but it's the sweet glaze that really makes this dessert special.

This four-layer stunner may just render all your other chocolate-cake recipes obsolete. A generous amount of sour cream keeps the cake layers tender, and the frosting is a glossy triumph. It's a natural fit for practically any get-together—from a simple family birthday celebration to an elaborate dinner party.

Homemade pound cake hits all the right notes—it's buttery, rich, and immensely satisfying. This version is classic, with hints of lemon and orange, perfect with afternoon tea.