Gourmet

Moderately priced avruga caviar (smoked herring roe from Spain) gives cooks a chance to throw caution to the wind and experiment. Stephen Harris purées it into a slate-gray emulsion, bringing visual drama and a smoky flavor to delicate salmon. Fleur de sel is a good substitute for his house-made sea salt.

Astronaut or not, anyone can enjoy these raisin-studded drop biscuits. Eat them while they're warm, because they lose their stellar appeal when cool.

Espresso gives this gooey, sensuous sauce a very grown-up flavor. It's perfect drizzled over ice cream.

Reducing a mixture of coconut liquid, cream, and sugar on the stovetop creates a wonderfully creamy filling, almost like a dulce de leche. Handfuls of fresh shredded coconut give the tarts a tropical flavor, accented beautifully by the fruitiness of prickly pears.

It's the spicy, garlicky tomatillo salsa that really sells these addictive tostadas. Frying store-bought corn tortillas heightens the vibrancy of their corn flavor and creates a crisp foundation for the refried black beans, shredded romaine, lush avocado, and creamy queso fresco.

Dried chipotle chiles become smoky-hot packages for a filling made from subtly sweet ripe plantains. Don'erestimate the heat of dried chiles—it's important to wear rubber gloves when working with them, since they can be just as potent as fresh ones.

This savory soup is thickened with masa harina, a flour made from dried corn cured in limewater. Dried ancho chiles give the vegetable broth a stunning brick-red color, and epazote (a pungent wild herb native to Mexico) contributes authentic flavor. Cubed potatoes and hefty chunks of fresh corn on the cob make the soup hearty enough to serve as a main course.

The signature dish at Bouchée is similar to boeuf bourguignon except it uses short ribs, which create a more elegant presentation for individual servings. The addition of vinegar offsets their robust meatiness. Any remaining sauce would be great served over egg noodles.

This flavorful topping brings out the flavor of grilled or boiled corn on the cob.

This play of bitter, sweet, and crunchy goes beautifully with an aperitif or a cold glass of beer or white wine.

Torta salata
Great on its own or as part of a meal, this tender bread is wonderfully rich, particularly when served warm.

Thin ribbons of Parmigiano-Reggiano carry the mushrooms' meaty robustness through each bite of greens. It might look like a lot of mushrooms when you're putting the salad together, but it allows everyone to have a generous helping.

Citrus lovers, pull up a bar stool. Ginger beer creates a lively base for this orange-and-lemon-spiked gin drink.

We can't imagine buying this drink necessity—it's so easy to make at home.

This sweet-tart cocktail will take you from Florida to Kentucky to Vermont for a sampling of eastern-state offerings.