Bon Appétit

Dense, flavorful aged beef works best for this pan-roasted steak. If you use unaged beef, plan on shorter cooking times.

At Barbuzzo in Philadelphia, Marcie Turney serves this budino (Italian for pudding) in small mason jars.

"Talk to most chefs and they'll say they'd want a perfectly roasted chicken for their last meal," says Sean Brock. For his definitive version, Brock starts with superflavorful heritage-breed chickens, but the key to the dish is prepoaching the bird in an immersion circulator. Because most home cooks don't have access to this equipment, we adapted the recipe to work in a home kitchen.

The fresh herbs in this dish- part of the gluten-free menu at Boston's Myers + Chang-add flavor but not fat.

Meaty chanterelles can stand up to a browning sauté, but for this salad we prefer to steam the mushrooms for a tender and delicate texture.

For inspiration, co-owner Eyal Raziel looked to his native Israel, where honey liqueur is popular. "The Bärenjäger balances the kick of the rye," he says.

Rice grits are a by-product of milling Carolina Gold rice. Find them at ansonmills.com or grind your own. To learn how, go to bonappetit.com/go/ricegrits.

This dessert is a favorite of chef Mitchell Kaldrovich's. "When I moved to Maine, I discovered how great the apples here are," he says. Don't forget to finish it with maple syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Says Kaldrovich: "It makes the dish."

"At home I don't even want to use a knife and fork," says Nick Johnson of 43 North in Madison, WI. This sandwich, with store-bought rotisserie chicken, obliges.

Braising the pork belly yields crisp-tender nuggets ready to mingle with caramelized sweet potatoes. "It's a very American profile, sweet potato and pork," says Jared Wentworth, the chef at Chicago's Longman & Eagle, who gave us this recipe.

The recipe for this quick, fresh cheese from Mozza chef Nancy Silverton should be a part of every cook's repertoire. It calls for only four ingredients and takes just 30 minutes to make. While it's not technically ricotta (Italian for "recooked") because it's not made by reheating whey (the liquid left over from making mozzarella), it boasts a fresher flavor and creamier texture than the stuff in your supermarket dairy aisle.

Christensen's vinegary, buttery, barely cooked greens stay bright in color and flavor.

Chef Ashley Christensen serves this jam with cheese and thinly sliced country ham or prosciutto as a sweet-and-salty starter.

Use John Currence's classic Southern gravy for smothering biscuits , with or without the fried chicken.

At Peels in New York City, chefs Preston and Ginger Madson tweak this Low Country favorite with two secret ingredients: a little Budweiser and a lot of tasso, a Cajun-spiced ham, which you'll find at specialty foods stores and cajungrocer.com. You can sub in andouille sausage if tasso is not available.

Roasting skin-on pork belly that's been wrapped around a pork loin gives you the best of both worlds: crackling mahogany crust and juicy meat seasoned with fennel, chile, and orange. Start at least 24 hours ahead. First, ask your butcher for a skin-on pork belly that's just long and wide enough to wrap around a trimmed, center-cut pork loin.

This herb-scented, brined bird packs more flavor than a basic roast chicken.