Gourmet

At La Côte Basque, this dish was originally served with an extremely rich cream sauce, but when Jean-Jacques Rachou took over in 1979, he reimagined a lighter version, one with pan juices and crème fraîche. It plays up the nutty, earthy morels beautifully.

You need something clean and refreshing in the series of "small plates," like this one and those above, and Reusing’s celery preparation fits the bill perfectly.

Jasmine rice is native to Southeast Asia. When cooked, its long grains become soft, seductively aromatic, and nutty in flavor.

Jacques Maximin claims he never served these tartes fines aux pommes at Chantecler restaurant at the famed Hôtel Négresco. Jacques Torres, Maximin’s pastry chef for eight years, insists they were consistently on the menu. All that matters to us, though, is that the classic combination of warm apple and flaky pastry becomes new again in these light, simple tarts.

The last embellishment for the caramel pecan cakes is easy to make and adds beautiful brightness to the plate.

Laden with suitcases full of caviar, a thank-you gift from the Shah of Iran for cooking at his palace in 1978, Louis Outhier returned to France in need of a recipe that called for such extravagance. Oeufs au caviar was the result, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Outhier's young protégé at the time, still serves the dish at his namesake New York City restaurant. Layered inside an eggshell, warm scrambled eggs and cold cream are accented with a regal dollop of caviar.

Larry Forgione, a chef dedicated to preserving regional American cuisine and crops, inspired our wilted salad. In his cookbook An American Place, collards are softened in a warm Sherry dressing. We found that the cream Sherry's sweet nuttiness also works especially well with baby fall greens like mizuna or beet tops. But choose the highest-quality leafy vegetables in season.

The spirit of Japan comes through in this dish: It is lovely to behold and has a delicate, light quality, yet the extraordinary flavors will seize your attention with the culinary equivalent of surround sound.

For this spiced coffee with brandy and orange, we ignite the spice- and citrus-infused spirits in the saucepan, add the coffee, and serve the glowing drink in demitasse cups. It’s a less risky—but equally astounding—spectacle.

This bold, uncomplicated dipping sauce is a perfect match for the sweet-potato and kimchi pancakes .

Quick-cooking scallopini are perfect for breathing new life into busy weeknights. And the brown butter doesn't hurt either.

Ginger and Shaoxing rice wine give a deep, round intensity to chicken, turning it into something sumptuous. The salty savor of country ham and chewy, dense chestnuts help make each forkful a hit.

A bit of Spanish chorizo goes a long way, lending another dimension to a skillet full of mouthwatering clams and potatoes.

Paul Bocuse believes a great chef will invent only two dishes in his entire career; his own truffle soup with pastry "hats" will forever be known as his signature creation. Our version retains all the theater of the billowy dome of puff pastry and the richness of the flavors but substitutes mushroom consommé laced with morels and snips of fresh chives for the opulence of truffles and foie gras.

When the gang is coming over for poker night, don't order pizza and subs—this is what you should make. Flatiron steak is meaty, tender, and deeply satisfying. Crisped spuds soak up the meat's creamy, woodsy sauce, and we love the simplicity of making a single large hash brown that can be cut into multiple wedges.

Alice Waters, founder and owner of Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California, champions the environmental benefits of organic produce and highlights vegetables’ freshness with simple preparations. In this adaptation of her potato coins, we coax the starch out of waxy, thin-skinned fingerlings to create a silky pan sauce. The faint vegetal sweetness of this dish pairs well with just about anything.

Sole amandine is a classic preparation for the delicate fish, pairing it with toasty almonds and a lemon butter sauce. Lightly cooked Brussels sprouts add texture.

Cremini mushrooms give added meaty depth to flavorful (yet inexpensive) chicken thighs in a rustic but light ragù.

Rumor has it that this cocktail was named in honor of the famous French 75 light field gun of World War I. Quick and potent, the drink was popularized by Harry's New York Bar, in Paris.