Snack

In the remote mountains of Georgia, the star ingredient of this bread called khachapuri—akin to pizza—is the firm but creamy salted cow's-milk cheese called sulguni. A blend of Havarti and mozzarella will give you a similar velvety texture.

A zeppola is an Italian fritter. The dough is similar to choux pastry, which is used to form cream puffs, éclairs, and gougères.

Wear gloves when working with super-hot chiles like habaneros.

Wear gloves when working with chiles.

Pizza bianca (white pizza) is a Roman dish that's more like seasoned flatbread than your typical pizza. It's great with the salumi and cheese.

Make a simple herb oil to brush over the flatbreads as soon as they come out of the skillet. Just mix 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander. Or serve with raita .

A mandoline or V-slicer makes quick work of slicing the radishes.

Just to clarify—there are no tangerines in this recipe and it doesn't look like a pie. But it's still delicious. In Singapore, these turnovers, also known as kuey taht, are a highly prized gift for Chinese New Year. Traditionally, people give away fresh tangerines (tangerine is a homonym for "gold" in Chinese). When Western-style baked goods were introduced, this round turnover was created to resemble the real thing: thus its crackly orange egg yolk wash and clever little clove on top. CHEF'S TIP: Don't eat the cloves. They are only a decorative touch, and biting into one will definitely be a shock to your palate.

These are best served warm.

The chicken calls for oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, and this dip cleverly makes use of some of that oil.

Egg white binds the sugar and spices to the nuts.

The ciabatta slices make for man-sized crostini, perfect for a Super Bowl party. If you can, always cut the bread into bite-sized chunks for more manageable portions.

These muffins truly give the flavor of corn its due. They're not sweetened like corn bread (meaning like "Yankee" corn bread, says Peacock), and they have a very fine, almost custardy texture, from the extra-fine grind of the cornmeal (which makes them reminiscent of spoon bread). "Honey and soft butter play to the creamy, tangy flavor of the muffins particularly well," says Peacock.

These rich nibbles only taste decadent. Soft goat cheese is naturally lower in fat.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico! What is the difference between crostini and bruschetta? In general, crostini are more sophisticated and smaller. The bread slices for my crostini are about two inches across and thinner than those for bruschetta. When topped with great flavors, they fit the definition of a powerful tiny bite that by virtue of their size are less overwhelming than bruschetta. Crostini are always toasted, never grilled, and when you make them with the best, freshest bread available and sweet creamery butter, they become the ultimate garlic toasts. I pile everything on them under the Tuscan sun, even scrambled eggs at breakfast.