Saute

The traditional crostini topping is a soft pâté, but the wild mushrooms with truffle oil served by chef Julian Marucci at Baltimore's Cinghiale are just as indulgent.

Texture and flavor contrasts make for an addictive side dish or starter.

In this clever combo, garlicky scampi meet spicy shrimp fra diavolo. Serve as an appetizer with grilled bread or spoon over polenta or orzo for a main course. Panko can be found in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets.

Neal Fraser, Executive Chef and co-owner of Grace and BLD in Los Angeles, shared this recipe with Epicurious. The dish is perfect for entertaining, since the endive and celery root flans can be made ahead and reheated. The garlic nage should be made shortly before serving and kept warm while you quickly sear the turbot. A shaving of earthy black truffles finishes the dish. "Grating them on top makes them soft and allows their perfume to stand out," says Fraser.

This summer side cooks quickly, so the veggies retain their nutrients.

Only use fresh corn in season for this recipe. As soon as corn is harvested, the sugar in the kernel begins to convert to starch and the corn begins to lose its sweetness. To store corn, leave on the husks and store it loosely wrapped in damp paper towels inside a paper bag. Refrigerate and use it within twenty-four hours. My friend, chef Marvin Woods, introduced me to the technique of grating the onion on a box grater instead of finely chopping it. When the onion is grated, it almost melts into the grits, adding a layer of onion flavor without any noticeable onion texture (always present with chopped onion, regardless of how fine the pieces). It also adds a bit more moisture to the grits than chopped onion does.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text are from Dana Slatkin's book The Summertime Anytime Cookbook. With an appealing assortment of textures and flavors, this simple yet unexpected whitefish preparation will enhance any evening. In case you're not familiar with kohlrabi, it's part cabbage, part root; looks like a small, light green (or sometimes purple) turnip; and tastes like a cross between celery root and broccoli stem. This dish is flexible enough that you can substitute any mild fish, such as halibut, red snapper, or John Dory, or swap the kohlrabi for broccoli or cauliflower.

This simple, delicious dish hails from China's Shanghai region. It's a great way to use up leftover rice—if your rice is already cooked, you'll need 3 cups of it.

This spicy Sichuan dish gets its layers of flavor from two different types of heat: fiery chiles and mildly numbing Sichuan peppercorns.

Melted cheese is a nice way to set off the blossoms' tangy green flavor.

In this Spanish-style frittata, the potatoes and zucchini are characteristically creamy and filling. The dish is also a host's friend, since it tastes just right at room temperature.

This quickly braised lamb brings a bit of French country straight into your kitchen.

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

In this nod to chef André Soltner, who opened New York City's Lutèce in 1961, we've streamlined his once modern take on duck à l’orange. Duck breasts, roasted and then broiled until golden-crisp on top, end up perfectly medium-rare. To cut the meat's richness, we add a splash of raspberry vinegar and fresh berries to the pan sauce.

Puttanesca is usually a pasta sauce, but here the addition of beans to the spicy blend of tomatoes, basil, and olives turns it into a versatile, satisfying side dish.

In this side dish, the veggies are cooked until just tender to retain their fresh-from-the-market flavor. For a delicious finishing touch, a handful of sliced basil is stirred in right before serving.

Dried guajillo chiles and New Mexico chiles can be found in some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets.

The sauce packs a great hazelnut crunch, and Madeira's nutty flavors bring it all together.

The squid in this entrée is tender and picks up the flavors it's cooked with.

Even when you're eating alone, succulent, sliced Americana can be yours any night of the week—enhanced by a flavorful blue-cheese riff on creamed spinach.