American

Tucked inside these juicy chuck burgers is a pocket of rich, salty tapenade. To experience the full range of flavors, build your burger with all the Accompaniments — the bite of red onion and the sweet crunch of gherkin pickles are key.

It's always exciting to find a cooking method that has a dramatic effect on the flavor of your food, and this technique certainly fits the bill. Black bass, liberally seasoned with garlic, olive oil, and lime, is wrapped in layers of water-soaked paper, then buried under hot coals.

Beware of packaging announcing a product is "100 percent wheat" — this designation can be used on foods made with refined wheat flour. To be sure of a product's nutritional value, read labels carefully: The first ingredient should be a whole-grain product. Check the fiber content — if the product doesn't contain a minimum of three grams per slice, you are probably dealing with an impostor.

What to drink: Red wine that's both earthy and light — try a northern Rhône Syrah blend like Saint-Joseph.

The buttery, cookielike topping in most crisp recipes is usually a calorie bomb. But chef Dean Rucker uses a whole-grain crumble of whole-wheat flour and rolled oats that's gently sweetened with honey, so you save calories and get almost 5 grams of fiber per serving. Feel free to swap in other fruit options to take advantage of the season's freshest picks.

These buttery fruit-and-nut bars taste like rugelach but are much easier to make.

Using multicolored carrots makes this beautiful side dish even more vibrant.

Erin Franzman of New York City, writes: "After reading that duck was part of the Aztec diet, I put it in this simple, hearty tortilla soup for an unexpected, rich twist." Corn tortillas add both body and crunch to this filling dish. Try sliced avocado on top for a splash of cool, vibrant flavor.

A filling of lemon curd folded into whipped crème fraîche gives this tart its billowy and ethereal texture.

These are great with salsa.

High-quality ingredients transform this salad into an extremely satisfying weeknight dinner.

Fruit may become your first choice for dessert after you try this dish: Fresh blueberries are the ideal topping for the almond-date crust. You'll get a helping of antioxidants and fiber, and don't be afraid of the fat: It's mostly the healthy kind. Bonus: This dessert doesn't require any baking.

Unlike their larger siblings, baby artichokes have no thistly choke and are completely edible. Despite the name, they're fully mature.

Try a milder domestic Gorgonzola (rather than the equally delicious but more pungent Italian version). Using an assortment of different colored beets makes the salad more vibrant.

One slice of this gorgeous strawberry pie from chef Barb Peters delivers nearly three fourths of your daily dose of vitamin C.

These delicate little almond cookies are perfect for entertaining; the contrast between the crisp cookie and gooey-sweet jam will keep guests coming back for more. And it takes less than 30 minutes of hands-on cooking time to whip up a batch.