Beverages

Method: Direct grilling
Advance Prep: At least 1 hour for marinating the ribs Meaty beef ribs, sweet with sugar, salty with soy and oyster sauce, pungent with that trinity of Asian flavorings (ginger, garlic, and scallions) and crustily charred on the grill — if this is your idea of paradise, heaven lies in China, where individual beef short ribs are sawed crosswise into smaller pieces and flash charred on the grill. Perfect for the Type A grill jockey, who lacks the patience for low, slow traditional smoking.

It's been decades since this dish was considered ethnic. Now we just think of it as down-home American food of the best kind. The moist, tender meat takes on a deep tomatoey flavor that suggests it's been slowly cooking for days rather than for less than 2 hours.

Nouvelle cuisine, for all its annoying pretension and fussiness, did return acidity to the table. Instead of leaning on cream sauce, cooks excited the senses with the interplay of sweet and sour. When first introduced, it seemed edgy and refreshing; now it seems timeless.

A boneless center-cut pork loin is incredibly versatile. Infused with the deep sweetness of prunes, it takes on the rich, robust flavors of southwestern France.

Among the many stories regarding the origins of this dish, the one we deemed "most likely, and most likely to succeed" came to us in 1944. E. Clarke King of Dayton, Ohio, sent us "the original recipe," which he claimed had been invented by George Greenwald, head chef at New York's Brighton Beach Hotel, for his parents (who owned the hotel) in the early 1900s. This time, we've lightened Greenwald's dish with stock and added red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. Even with the changes, though, the dish will likely evoke childhood taste memories for those of a certain age.

Introduced to England at the beginning of the 20th century by the wife of the British viceroy of India, this soup, enhanced with cream and a touch of curry, was soon turning up in dining rooms across Europe.

We've run at least a dozen different recipes for steak au poivre since our first one, in 1953 — and there's a reason why, even after we started adorning meat with chiles, salts, and dry rubs, we continue to return to this dish. Why? Because it's so darn good. And despite its somewhat macho image, this particular preparation tastes practically tony. (We found it a good excuse to use fine-quality peppercorns, such as Tellicherry or the smoky, meaty Talamanca del Caribe.)

In this spin on New Orleans's classic appetizer of barbecue shrimp, chipotle chiles stand in for cayenne and black pepper, truly transforming the dish with a beguiling play of spice, a hint of smoke, and a gorgeous brick-red color. Here, we serve the shrimp as a main course — but in the spirit of the original, we've kept this a meal to eat with your hands. Peeling the shrimp, slurping their shells, and scooping up the hot, buttery sauce with crusty bread makes for nothing less than a feast. Best of all, it's ready in a flash.

Three gifts in one: a mini cheesecake, the pan it comes in, and a jar of homemade caramel sauce on the side. Keep in mind that the cakes need to chill overnight.

Mexican chocolate and white rum add up to more than your average chocolate mousse.

Three great ways to keep warm — coffee, hot chocolate, and bourbon — in a single mug.

Be sure to prepare the syrup at least a few hours before making drinks so that it has plenty of time to chill.

Lewis Rossman of Half Moon Bay, California, writes: "I'm a chef, and Mediterranean is probably the best way to describe the kind of cooking I do at my restaurant, Cetrella. There's an emphasis on seafood, plus several dishes inspired by places I've visited like Provence and Catalonia. This is one of my favorite recipes from the menu. It also happens to be the thing I make at home all the time."

A perfect ending to a holiday meal, these gorgeous golden orbs are remarkably refreshing. And they will remind you why, in days past, good little children often found oranges hidden in the toes of their Christmas stockings.

Vanilla ice cream is decked out for the holidays with orange liqueur and purchased almond lace cookies. Look for Florentine cookies at bakeries and some supermarkets.

This delightfully tart drink with a hint of gingery spice is one of several nonalcoholic cocktails that mixologist Duggan McDonnell serves to customers at Frisson restaurant, in San Francisco.

The cake takes its name from the wife of Jack Turner's former headmaster, but the recipe is reportedly an ancient Scottish one. Aluminum foil stands in for the traditional newspaper.

Nils Noren, executive chef at restaurant Aquavit, in New York, pairs this smoky hot drink with venison, but it works well with almost any wintry game preparation. He uses Assam tea, a full-bodied brew from India. For a richer, molasseslike flavor, use muscovado sugar.