Gourmet

This lightly sweet gelatin separates into two distinctly textured layers when it cools, adding a lovely depth to a unique dessert.

As with many European desserts, this recipe calls for no salt but does use salted butter rather than unsalted.

Serve this yogurt-based Greek staple as a first-course accompaniment to pitas and other breads, or as a light but creamy sauce drizzled over spiced roasted meats.

These tender little potatoes, stuffed to the brim with a garlicky, cheesy filling, are an easy alternative to mashed or baked potatoes.

Knowing that every Japanese cook would have strong opinions on the preparation of white rice, Ruggiero counted on her friend Ryuji Inoue, originally from Kyushu, Japan, for guidance. The result is fluffy and slightly stickier than Chinese rice. Even without a rice cooker, the rice comes out just perfect.

Ruggiero couldn't figure out what made the salad dressing at New York's Natori so irresistible and was shocked when she finally got the secret ingredient out of the sushi chef: grated apple. Nor would you ever guess it from a bite of this dressing, since it's not at all sweet or fruity, just perfectly balanced and lip-smackingly delicious. Its slight pulp extends the unctuous richness of avocado and complements the clean assertiveness of watercress.

Preserved lemons are perhaps most at home in Moroccan dishes, but we love their complex, bright flavor and aroma in all kinds of soups, stews, and salads. We've adapted Mediterranean-food authority Paula Wolfert's quick method and made it even faster by blanching the lemons first. If you manage to find Meyer lemons, this is a great way to capture their unforgettable taste and perfume.

You'll be amazed that anything this simple could taste so good, not to mention that all this garlic—yes, two heads, not two cloves—can produce such a seasoned, mellow taste.

In Chalcatongo, Jiménez purchases pit-roasted lamb, then warms up the meat in a simple tomatillo sauce rich with the earthy zing of costeño rojo chiles. On this side of the border, you'll have to cook your meat first, but our adaptation (we slow-roast it) couldn't be easier.

The tropical relish that tops these chops is a nod to the Caribbean climes and palm-tree breezes that are the stuff Jimmy Buffett songs are practically made of—a veritable paradise in this dish for two.

Though you may not be familiar with the name, chilaquiles are the forebears of modern nachos. But the abundance of fresh, flavorful toppings—cool cilantro, salty queso fresco, crisp red onion—makes even the most fluorescent "nacho cheese" seem colorless.

A shot of red-wine vinegar is all it takes to enliven this simple, earthy side dish.

While the Buffalo salmon<\a> is busy hogging all the sauce, what's the chicken left to do all by its lonesome self? Here, it cozies up with ever-so-sweet scallions for some much-needed TLC that manages to be both new and familiar.

Here, quickly sautéed greens get some spice and a kick of heat (thanks to red-pepper flakes)—and they become an ideal partner for the Buffalo salmon<\a>.

Firm, meaty whitefish fillets stand up beautifully to a double helping of tangy horseradish—first in a crisp panko breading, then in a quick, flavor-packed rémoulade that tops off the dish.