Snack

I have eaten several versions of these eggplant fritters, which are a specialty of Córdoba, and have loved them all. The combination of savory and sweet is sensational. In the town of Priego de Córdoba, which is in the mountains on the Ruta del Califato (the tourist route of old Muslim Spain), where there is an old Moorish quarter, the eggplant slices I ate were very thin and crisp and served with a dribble of honey. I learned from the chef at the restaurant Rio a new way to prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil, which is to soak the slices in milk, then drain them and cover them in flour.
These are best eaten as soon as they are done, but they are also very good reheated in the oven.

Everyone needs a terrific vanilla ice cream recipe in their repertoire, and here it is. Keeping a tub of homemade vanilla ice cream in my freezer is standard policy, since I can't think of any dessert that isn't made better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting alongside.

I just love cooking these little snacks as a starter. I like to think of them as the grown-up version of potato wedges with sweet chile and sour cream. Whoever came up with that combination deserves a medal. These cakes work well with shrimp, crayfish and even roast chicken but I especially like them with crabmeat. Enjoy!

Brace yourself for an unbelievably adorable, moist, and perfectly sweet donut that will leave you breathless and endlessly happy. We're going to bake them, not deep-fry them! If you're OK with sugar, this should be your go-to recipe, as it yields a fantastically crispy outside that secures the light, pillowy inside. The donut here is shown with the cinnamon sugar topping .

These versatile treats make fabulous hors d’oeuvres or a great breakfast on the run. They are so portable that they pack equally well for picnics, the office, and school lunches.

Dark, milk, and white chocolate chips are sprinkled throughout this rich chocolate cupcake. For a more sophisticated version, use only dark chocolate chips. Guaranteed to fulfill your daily chocolate craving.

My younger son loves these cupcakes and calls them Strawberry Spongecakes. These pink-flecked pleasers are best made at the height of strawberry season.

Buttermilk and honey makes these muffins remarkably tender and indescribably delicious. We love this recipe with raspberries, but you can also use any berries you have on hand.

Our favorite Mexican street food gets the crostini treatment.

Quick pickled figs add a sweet-tartness to this bruschetta.

You can sub in fresh favas or edamame for the peas.

This is a classic Scandinavian-style smørrebrød.

Briny-sweet crab and piquant chiles shine on subtly flavored white bread.

In Japan today, onigiri are still the go-to food for picnics. It's not surprising that they started being grilled, too, which is what yaki onigiri are—grilled rice balls. Fire crisps up and caramelizes the rice on the outside, creating a delicious crust, which makes them even more irresistible.

Like the striped pops from the ice cream truck—without the artificial flavors and colors.

Forget the cornichons. Serve these instead with your favorite pâté, or alongside a salumi platter.

Halved grapefruits taste delicious with a kiss of smoke from the grill. But they're even better sliced to expose more of the fruit to the caramelizing fire. Pomegranate molasses, with its sweet-tart flavor and syrupy texture, makes a tasty, ruby-hued glaze. Try this recipe with oro blanco (a white-fleshed pomelo), too. If you have fresh pomegranates, scatter the seeds over the top.

One of my favorite at-home foods is this appetizer/snack, which I love to munch on while I’m cooking out in my backyard. These are great with cocktails and addictive as hell. They’re easy to throw together and put in the smoker alongside whatever else you may already be cooking in there.

This recipe is a favorite of mine on a cold winter's night as it always reminds me of times with friends when we would ski and snowboard all day then sit by a log fire and eat and drink all night. If you don't have maple syrup on hand, use a spoonful of honey instead.

You can make the custard base a day ahead for this chocolate chip gelato.