Bon Appétit

A squeeze of lime unites all the flavors of these new-wave quesadillas.

The hit of beer in this tangy mustard makes it the perfect dipping sauce for the sausages.

The slight spiciness of Gala apples and the decadence of homemade caramel sauce pair nicely with a creamy and not too- sweet vanilla rice pudding. Fuji apples would be another good choice for this dessert.

A flaky phyllo crust, layered with butter and a pumpkin pie–spice sugar forms the crust for this silky well-spiced pie.

If you have a food processor, you can make sausage from scratch. Adding pork fat to the meat gives these bite-size sausage patties a tender texture. Call your butcher in advance to make sure he sets aside some extra pork fat for you. To help the mixture blend more easily, be sure to freeze the pork pieces before grinding them in the processor. Keep in mind that the sausage needs to chill overnight so that the flavors have time to develop.

Nothing says "garden fresh" like a handful of aromatic herbs, and while you may be tempted to take bulgur down the well-traveled tabbouleh road, a little deviation can be an excellent thing. In this case, cilantro steps up to the plate, replacing parsley (typical of tabbouleh) and adding distinct flavor to an already intoxicating amount of mint. Toasting almonds in olive oil and then adding both to the mix enhances the nuttiness of the whole grain.

Leftover barbecue sauce can be brushed over pork ribs during the last few minutes of grilling or combined with ground turkey for burgers.

Pastry chef Mathew Rice uses flavors from his childhood as inspiration for his desserts. Here, pears and buttermilk cake are transformed with thyme, lemon, and crème fraîche. And the ice cream? A very grown-up Greek yogurt.

Nearly all of chef Kyle Caporicci's sweets come with their very own ice cream pairings: carrot cake with root beer ice cream; mango-kiwi cheesecake with mint. And in the case of this exotic fruit salad, the topping is a refreshing sake granita and pear sorbet.

At Palate Food + Wine, chef Octavio Becerra makes his own potted duck, whitefish, Berkshire pork, and chicken, our favorite. It's herby, homey, and sophisticated. And it makes a great lunch with a salad on the side. A timing note: The chicken needs to marinate overnight before it's braised.

At FIG, ice cream isn't just for warm weather. In winter you'll find, say, molten chocolate cake paired with pistachio ice cream or maple ice cream atop spiced apple-raisin crumble. Summer in South Carolina means fresh local peaches, and chef Mike Lata puts them to good use in these single-serving tarte Tatins. They're pretty and delicious on their own, but with the addition of the Lemon Ice Cream, they're absolutely sublime.

The ice cream custard needs to infuse with the flavor of the cacao nibs overnight, so start preparing it two days ahead.

These "Hawks Bars" are so good, chef-owners Michael Fagnoni and Molly Hawks named them after their restaurant. Super-sweet, fudgy brownies are topped with layers of white-chocolate-flavored caramel, bittersweet-chocolate ganache, and candied pecans and served with a scoop of not-too-sweet Cacao Nib Gelato. Incredible.

These "gnocchi" are more like baked polenta cutouts. For a pretty presentation, cut the gnocchi with a three-inch-square scalloped cookie cutter.