Bon Appétit

It makes a great side dish, but this salad is even better as a pizza topping. Brush the with olive oil, sprinkle it with sea salt and shredded mozzarella, then bake. When the pizza comes out of the oven, top it with the salad.

Top the dough with the onion mixture, then add your toppings. Blue cheese and halved Kalamata olives would work well with the onions.

A spring herb butter makes the lamb fresh and lively. Be sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the butter for flavoring the Garland of Spring Vegetables .

Saffron gives the couscous a gorgeous yellow color.

Blanching the root vegetables shortens the stew's cooking time and keeps the flavors bright. Plus, the blanching water makes a great quick stock.

The secret to these moist cupcakes? Reduced coconut milk.

This cake is light as air— and infused with flavor, thanks to a little grated orange peel. A deep, dark caramel sauce and a stunning fruit compote make the dessert dinner-party-worthy. Be sure not to use a pan with a nonstick coating. Because this cake is cooled upside down in the pan, you want the cake to stick to the sides a bit.

Peeling spring's fleeting fresh fava beans takes some time, but the results are well worth the effort. You can blanch and peel the beans a day ahead.

Spread the pesto over the dough , then add toppings. Roasted asparagus, well-drained cooked spinach, and crumbled feta would be delicious.

A simple but sophisticated starter: Puff pastry squares are topped with a bright spring mixture of asparagus spears, fresh shiitakes, and crème fraîche.

The dough gets its slightly tangy flavor from a "sponge" (a mixture of warm water, yeast, and flour that’s allowed to ferment). Timing note: The sponge needs to rest overnight; the dough needs to rise for about eight hours.

A springy take on Niçoise salad, with radishes and asparagus in place of tomatoes and haricots verts.

Egg bread, bittersweet chocolate, and an intense caramel sauce combine to make this the ultimate comfort dessert. Be sure to start this recipe ahead of time. It takes about half an hour for the custard to soak into the bread.

This sauce goes with almost any topping. Three to try: slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and roasted eggplant. This recipe originally accompanied the <epi:recipelink id="352109">Overnight Pizza Dough recipe</epi:recipelink>

These mouthwatering sandwiches are packed with zesty flavor. Wrap them up and serve at a picnic.

Tangy lemon curd and a white chocolate ganache are each folded with whipped cream to form airy mousses. They're layered here with pretty sliced strawberries, but any berry or soft ripe fruit will work.

Greek-style yogurt gives the cake a rich, moist texture.