Saute

Fresh and a little spicy, these greens complement the more opulent dishes in this menu.

Frisée often pops up in salads, but like its cousin escarole, it’s also great for cooking.

Sharp mustard adds edginess to the old standby combination of greens and bacon.

Even brown-rice skeptics will enjoy this textural dish full of butter-browned nuts.

We love the contrast of sliced almonds and golden-brown cauliflower against the risotto’s Brie-amplified creaminess.

Your guests will wonder what makes this purée so silky. You can either look away demurely, hoarding your secret, or confess that it’s parsnips. Here, the floral subtlety of these ivory tubers is bolstered by the bite of whole Brussels sprouts leaves.

Nothing evokes the fall season like a plate of pork chops and apples, but we upped the ante with spicy horseradish, which adds new verve to this timeless dish.

Test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau wanted something very simple but very savory to add to her Thanksgiving green beans. Bacon and chestnuts turned out to be a perfect pairing for the vegetable, as the latter picks up the smoky flavor of the former. With the widespread availability of bottled roasted chestnuts, these additions are an easy way to make a standard side dish something special.

Be well this fall: Have one bowl and you'll spoon up nearly three quarters of your daily requirement for vitamin C.

Parisian chefs have been seduced by lemongrass. This riff on peppercorn sauce uses vermouth instead of the customary brandy to cut the richness of the steak.

Ginger and cilantro add Southeast Asian oomph to this French-style butter sauce, which lightly coats big, meaty shrimp.

As convenient as store-bought duck confit is, we find that its quality tends to vary. Making your own allows you to control the spicing and the cooking time to produce a velvety piece of meat. This ancient preservation method has three parts: First you cure the duck legs in salt (drawing out the water in which microorganisms can live), then you slowly cook them in fat, and finally you store them fully covered in the cooking fat so air can't get in.

This rustic, one-dish meal incorporates ingredients that southwestern France is known for: prunes, Armagnac, leeks, potatoes, and mushrooms. The ragout's combination of sweet, salty, and earthy acts as a complex backdrop for the duck.

There are many versions of vadouvan, a French interpretation the Indian spice blend, but we like the one that Grimes came up with, starting with a formula by chef Inaki Aizpitarte, of Le Chateaubriand, and roasting it for a deep, meaty flavor.

Carena brings an almost Moroccan sensibility to this delicious play of sweet and savory, from the crisp-tender fennel to the orange essences and underlying traces of saffron and raisins.

Along with the pan juices, this stock flavors the gravy. Make and freeze it up to two weeks ahead.

True to its name, this rustic salad calls for a flavorful mix of sweet and savory ingredients, such as fresh and dried fruit, cured meat, and assorted greens. Serve this colorful salad as a side to a savory main course, or have it for lunch.

To take the sandwiches on a picnic, use ciabatta rolls—they will stay firm despite the mayo.