Gourmet

We come back to this basic stock recipe year after year because we love the depth and dark hue that come from roasting the meat and vegetables beforehand—they translate to a terrific gravy.

If you're eager for your turkey to have a luscious, crisp skin, you'll love this glaze, which takes it to a whole new level—maple syrup caramelizes on the surface, creating a superthin, almost glasslike, slightly sticky coating all over. And because the syrup is steeped with black peppercorns before glazing, it adds a nuanced floral quality along with a hint of heat.

Floating on the surface of this pale, silky soup, which tastes of the essence of parsley, is a trompe l'oeil surprise: What looks like shaved truffles is actually thinly sliced chestnuts, adding a nutty sweetness.

These have the lively crisp exterior and cloudlike interior you expect from a gougère, but with an incredibly intense combination of smoky bacon, roasted corn, and extra-sharp Cheddar.

This recipe could easily become a year-round favorite—simply substitute supermarket rotisserie chicken for the turkey. And as a special treat for the kids (or the kid in you), make individual-size pies, using eight 10- to 12-ounce gratin dishes.

Cranberries are a rarity, even to this day, in Italy, so this crostata represents an achievement that's uniquely Italian-American. Though many crostatas employ jam, this one gets its zest from fresh cranberries cooked down and paired with an almond-scented crust—and the proportion of filling to crust is our idea of perfection.

This gently sweet ricotta tart provides a creamy base to a rich compote of dried fruit, which includes figs, sour cherries, and apricots (we much prefer the tangy California kind over Turkish). It's much lighter than a cheesecake, but it hits all the right spots. The Miraglia family likes the tart chilled, but we also loved it at room temperature.

You've encountered a million potato-bacon-cheese combos in your lifetime, but in retrospect they all seem to be rehearsals for this one, a classic of Miraglia Eriquez's Calabrian grandmother Mary Pacella, who immigrated to Brooklyn in 1934. Crispness abounds, from the bacon to the slight crust on the roasted potatoes, yielding to creamy, very potatoey interiors.

Italians are crazy for dark leafy greens of all kinds, and Swiss chard is a particular favorite in the fall. Here, with stems and ribs included, you get the full earthy spectrum of the vegetable.

The ingredients here evolved from the Miraglia family's favorite way to roast capon, but the simplicity of this dish will resonate with anyone looking for a beautiful and delicious all-American turkey.

Just as they do in sweet Chinese bubble tea, fat, chewy pearls of tapioca bring a certain levity to pears in a fragrant spiced-cider "broth." Satsuma segments add hits of sweetness to this chic, playful dessert.

This tart is simply all about the coconut—a flavor that Southeast Asians go wild for. Don't expect a gooey, cloying confection, though; this one is a buttery shell chock-full of chewy shredded coconut.

Kumquats and cranberries turn out to be a perfect match, since their flavors are similar in intensity: The former contributes a pleasant citrusy bitterness to the latter's signature tartness.

If you've never had pale-fleshed Japanese sweet potatoes before, you'll be surprised by their subtler, drier flesh, which tastes unmistakably of chestnut. A bit of miso mixed into the scallion butter stealthily rounds out the interplay of sweet and umami that will have you eating all the way through to the last flaky remnants of skin.

Beware—once you've had a few bites of this rice, you'll surely be back for seconds and thirds. Loaded with bits of treasure—smoked oysters, meaty mushrooms, Chinese sausage that tastes almost candied—the rice itself has an amazing chew that exemplifies the Chinese genius for varying textures in a meal. Though the lotus-leaf wrapping is optional, the rice gains a beguiling aroma, suggestive of tea, if you do use it—and the drama of unwrapping the stuffing at the table, like a lovely present, shouldn't be underestimated.

Pushing a buttery spice paste underneath the turkey's skin allows the flavor to perfume the meat—and gives it extra juiciness. Here, we use the favorite Indian combination of garlic and ginger paste, along with the technique of toasting spices and then grinding them, for the freshest, most powerful result. Though the paste may smell pungent, its flavor, once the turkey has been cooked, is quite gentle.

Use any seasonal squash you like in this comforting and creamy soup.

Quick-pickled cabbage has a refreshing crunch, with a light saltiness enhanced by umeboshi (Japanese salted plums with purple shiso).

We typically think of pickling as involving mainly vinegar or, as is the case with kimchi, a fermenting process. In India, however, oil is the secret ingredient, employed to carry the flavor of spices. Here, mustard seeds and ground turmeric bring brightness to the mix.

Pasta at Thanksgiving? Even the most epic of meals in Italy will never skip the crucial primo course, and Italians in America make no exception. Though a bit of prosciutto underlines the savoriness of the tomato sauce, the dish is still light enough to take the edge off that holiday hunger without filling everyone up.