Bon Appétit

Ras-el-hanout, meaning "head of the shop," is a complex North African spice mixture that imparts a blend of aromatic, spicy, and earthy flavors.

Bake this festive spice cake in your favorite Bundt pan or pudding bowl, or feel free to use an 8" springform pan. You can top the cake with Luscious Chocolate Icing or simply dust it with powdered sugar.

Serve this icing spooned over cake or ice cream.

This versatile dough is ideally made in a stand mixer, but a food processor works surprisingly well, too.

Marinate thinly sliced mushrooms to create a simple, fresh salad.

This salad is perfect for a weekend lunch or a quick weeknight dinner.

Adding grated apple, a pectin-packed fruit, naturally jells the jam and gives it a pleasant tartness.

The success of this simple soup depends on using the freshest watercress available. Choose the full-grown, thick-stemmed variety; it has more of the green's characteristic bold, peppery flavor.

A simple addition to the master dough results in deliciously scented rolls.

Swedish pearl sugar stands in for coarse salt in this sweet take on the soft pretzel.

Think of this aioli as your secret sauce. Made by transforming egg yolks, garlic, and olive oil into a creamy dip, it's Provence's answer to mayonnaise. The secret is creating a tight emulsion of the yolk and oil. The technique, thankfully, is less scientific: "Add a thin drizzle of oil and whisk like crazy," says Suzanne Goin, chef at L.A.'s Lucques, Tavern, and A.O.C. Her version lets the egg shine by using half flavor-neutral grapeseed oil so the olive oil doesn't dominate. The result is a harmonious sauce with a supple texture (thanks to hand-whisking instead of using a blender) that begs to be spooned onto meat, bread, and fish. Goin serves it with salmon and poached spring vegetables, but no matter what you pair it with, this sauce is the star.

Serve this fragrant, Indian-inspired side dish with all things chicken.

We've been making chef Scott Howard's ginger syrup in bulk and keeping it in the fridge for quick tonics and late- evening cocktails. If you have a juicer at home, by all means use it, but good store-bought 100 percent carrot juice will work just as well here.

Get extra-festive with this buttery loaf studded with colorful eggs.

If time is short, skip baking the homemade meringues and use store-bought.

These tasty tarts are easy to bring to a picnic or potluck dinner. Serve one for dessert—and one for breakfast the next day. Dried California apricots are dark orange and have a tangier, more intense flavor than Turkish ones.

To make the breadcrumbs, tear up a day-old baguette or some crusty country bread and pulse it in a food processor until the crumbs are coarse. If you end up with more than you need, freeze the surplus in an airtight container.

Sometimes all it takes are three ingredients to kick off a party.