Bon Appétit

A rich dose of stout adds big flavor to these fudgy, chocolate-glazed brownies.

A bit of salty country ham goes a long way in this quick greens sauté.

No one will fault you for seasoning brisket with salt and pepper, braising it in beer, and calling it a day. But follow chef Lee's method—which calls for a bath of stout, bourbon, and soy sauce; a glaze made with peach jam; and a side of easy homemade pickles if you'd like—and you're on the path to savory-and-sweet nirvana.

If you want to rein in this over-the-top recipe a bit, feel free to serve the cookies on their own.

Anson Mills, the company behind the South's heirloom-grain revival, helped usher this beautiful little pea back into the limelight. Chef Ashley Christensen orders hers from ansonmills.com, though you can substitute dried black-eyed peas and cook them for about 1 1/4 hours.

Puttanesca isn't just for pasta. Anchovies and olives punch up a sauce hearty enough to stand up to meat or fish.

Buttermilk is the tangy heart and soul of so many of our favorite Southern foods. Sadly, the supermarket stuff is "eh" at best. So we make our own.

This sweet-tea cocktail from the Patterson House includes lime juice and honey for a modern front-porch favorite.

Spiced pecans add sophisticated nuance to this cinnamon-spiked chocolate ganache tart.

Blizzard food at its best. This buttery crusted pie, filled with rib-sticking pork, will fortify you for any winter's night.

The key to this drink is fresh pineapple juice.

These sweet doughnuts are bathed in maple syrup just before serving.

Summer isn't the only time to enjoy sticky ribs— these baby backs, showered with citrus zest, also work well in winter. You can customize the size of the zest by using a Microplane for smaller pieces or a 5-hole zester for longer strips.

This tart sorbet is great on its own as a palate cleanser, but it tastes even better when paired with store-bought vanilla ice cream. Whichever kind of grapefruit you use—pink, white, ruby red, or yellow—the hibiscus ensures a lovely deep-pink color. If you don't have an ice cream maker, turn the sorbet into a granita by freezing it in a 9x9x2" metal pan and mashing any big chunks with a fork after 1 hour. Freeze for 1 hour more, then scrape until it's as flaky as shaved ice.

This versatile salsa also pairs well with scallops or roast fish.

This dish changes with the seasons, adapting to whatever wild mushrooms are in the market, but it's just as tasty with cultivated crimini. Chef Bradley Dickinson, who offers it as an appetizer at the restaurant, also suggests serving it as a main with orzo on the side or over a bed of wild and long-grain rice.

This is the definition of minimalist Thai cooking. The steam not only gently cooks the fish until just tender but also creates an instant, complex sauce from a handful of basic ingredients. Scoring the fish's flesh allows more of the flavor to season the fish and facilitates faster steaming. The fish is cooked on a plate that fits inside the steamer, to catch the juices.

Thai salads are full of crisp vegetables and fruits mixed with intense condiments. "It's not about just tossing the ingredients together," says Ricker. "It's about working them into the dressing," which can also be used to dress green-papaya and cabbage slaws.

Hominy, or hulled corn kernels, is the backbone of this Mexican soup (pronounced poh-SOH-lay), which can easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock and omitting the pork. Either way, it's best garnished with lots of cilantro, cheese, and lime and served with warm flour tortillas.