Epicurious

Serve this with crusty bread to soak up the delicious olive oil.

This refined French appetizer is traditionally made by pounding confit of pork, goose, or (in this case) duck into a silky paste. Here a mortar and pestle is replaced by a food processor and elbow grease by a light touch — rillettes are best easily spread but not quite smooth.

This recipe comes from my mom, Loretta Anderson.

Croûte Forestière This is based on a croûte forestière I tasted at the Bois Gourmand restaurant outside Champagnole, in the heart of the mountainous Jura region in France. The restaurant is known in the area for its regional specialties, and this was an intriguing interpretation of the typical croûte forestière which is made entirely with morels.

This dish is a perfect example of Villaran Novoandina ("New Andean") style of cooking. Ingredients native to Peru, such as escolar, aji, and tropical fruit, are combined in whimsical, creative ways. The presentation is very contemporary, yet the bright, satisfying contrast of crisp fish, sweet fruit, and spicy sauce is true to Peruvian flavors.

As a graduate student, my mother came to the U.S. from Argentina intending to study English for a year, but after meeting my father, she decided to stay. Among her Argentinian-influenced recipes, flan (the Spanish version of crème caramel) was a family favorite; my sister and I now make it for dinner parties or special occasions, where this easy dessert always receives rave reviews.

Here's a quick and elegant entrée for spring.

Introduced to India by Portuguese settlers, this spicy stew can also be made with pork, beef or lamb. Serve over steamed basmati rice.

This light, coffee-flavored cake is a fun twist on the decadent classic, with layers of Kahlúa-soaked ladyfingers set between a sweet mascarpone filling.