Nut Free

You'll find fresh rice noodles in well-stocked Asian markets (or search for them on amazon.com).

The little bits of fatback add an extra layer of deliciousness.

Choose the best-quality fish for this simple ceviche.

"Anytime you grill or pan-fry fish," O'Connell says, "it's essential to thoroughly dry it before adding your fat."

"Compound butters are a terrific blank canvas," O'Connell says. "You can mix in all sorts of flavors—anchovies, capers, any herb or spice."

Instructor's advice: Start with very cold cream, and keep it chilled between whipping and serving.

Both guanciale and Pecorino are quite salty; Leonardo Vignoli, the chef at Da Cesare al Casaletto, recommends undersalting the pasta water to give you more control.

The colorcoded salad is one of Babylonstoren's signature dishes and always features a mix of fruits and vegetables on the same plate. Engelbrecht says produce that looks good together tastes great together, too, and she's developed specific vinaigrettes to complement the red, yellow, and green options.

Who says gremolata has to have parsley and lemon? No one who's tried this crunchy Thai influenced riff.

Boredom? Never. Try swapping in baby turnips for the radishes and kale or Swiss chard for the mustard greens in this effortless dish.

Babylonstoren's chef Maranda Engelbrecht uses exotic tamarillos. If you can get them, great. If not, tomatoes are your best swap.

I love the way the sweet-and-sour rhubarb butter adds flavor to this chicken as it cooks—I think you will too!

Whole, unpeeled, and roasted to surreal tenderness, shallots are shedding their "always the bridesmaid" status once and for all.

Quick-cooking squid is perfect for a weeknight dinner. Look for it at a reputable fish monger or in your grocer's freezer section.

At Rioja, half of the bacon is replaced with ground fatback, a step that makes this excellent burger even better.

Take fried fish, break it up, and douse it with lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, chiles, and cilantro, and you have an incredible jumble of textures and flavors. Because you hack the fish into bits, there's no need to find perfect-for-presentation fillets, so this is a great way to use those that aren't flawless, as long as they're fresh.

This rich, spiced buttercream is perfect for chocolate or gingerbread cake. The recipe yields enough buttercream to ice a 3-layer 9-inch round cake. For cupcakes, halve the recipe.