Bon Appétit

Use Mexican adobo, a vinegary chile paste, to season any protein. For this recipe, the shrimp is chopped, so there's no need to splurge on a larger size.

Fruit is a welcome addition to savory grain salads. Here, mangoes and oranges add color and sweetness to the deep-purple hue of black rice. It's delicious with grilled fish.

An assertive wet rub gives these steaks a nice crust on the grill. And the spice from the meat pairs with the pungency of the tapenade to play deliciously against the tomatoes and watercress. (Bonus: The tapenade is great on fish, chicken, and, well, anything savory.)

A few simple spices are all you need to transform ground pork into a fantastic taco filling.

Britton uses agave syrup to sweeten this nutty crust.

Be gentle when washing new potatoes; their tender skins scrub off easily.

"Nobody thinks to cook cucumbers, but I treat them as I would any vegetable"

This steak tastes best when marinated overnight, so try to start the recipe a day ahead.

Get juicy shrimp by gently steaming them in an herb-and-lemon infused broth.

This creamy, smoky filling of roasted poblano chiles and charred onions will make your vegetarian—and carnivorous—friends happy.

Make a batch of these easy, fast pickled red onions, and use them the whole week (or two) on everything you’re eating.

These can be prepared a number of different ways. Pick one flavoring, then roll them in the coatings of your choice.

Michael Lindley, Public House, Chattanooga: "Cucumbers are great in picnic food, something you can take with you anywhere."

Molly Moon's in Seattle pairs apricot compote with vanilla ice cream, but you can experiment with other combos. We love chocolate ice cream with tart dried cherries.

Can't find aquavit? It's easy to make your own by infusing vodka with herbs and spices.

Our test kitchen had an Aha! moment with this dish. Crumbled bacon, mixed in with the breadcrumbs, makes a great topping for these tangy-sweet beans. We think the combo would do the same for mac and cheese.

The only trick to this fruit-flecked pie created by Sweet Rose Creamery in Santa Monica, CA, is making sure it gets 6 hours in the freezer to firm up.

Ask your butcher for thinly sliced cross-cut short ribs, a.k.a. flanken or Korean style. If you can't find them, flank steak is a good substitute.

Butter, flecked with parsley, chive, and dill, melts into the smoky, briny juices of grilled clams to create a delicious, effortless sauce.