Bon Appétit

Serve this with a side of steamed basmati rice or Savory Semolina . Be sure to let guests know that there are whole cloves in the finished dish.

A flavorful, colorful vegetarian stew that's as beautiful as it is easy to make. Rice on the side makes the dish complete and soaks up all those great flavors.

In clarified butter, the milk solids are removed so the butter doesn't burn as easily. This can be made at least a week ahead.

Try this for breakfast or as a side dish.

The lamb needs to marinate overnight.

Look for a dark honey, such as forest honey, which is available at specialty foods stores and from kalustyans.com. WHAT TO DRINK: Try the 2004 Château Grillon, a delicious Sauternes that won't break the bank (France, $19 for 375 ml).

Oktoberfest fans, here's your dish. Wondra flour, which dissolves quickly to prevent lumps from forming, is what helps thicken the juices in this fall classic. You'll find it at the supermarket.

This rich dough takes a couple of hours to rise—just set it aside and forget about it.

This hearty soup gets rich flavor from linguiça, a delicious pork sausage from Portugal seasoned with garlic, paprika, and other spices. Spanish chorizo sausage is a great substitute.

Here's a mellow way to flavor this creamy and comforting Spanish custard dessert.

In this free-form tart, the filling is mounded in the center of the pastry and the edges are simply folded up around it.

This simple, slightly crunchy cake needs only a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Chopped walnuts, herbs, and panko become a crisp, flavorful coating for the halibut fillets.

Here's an autumnal twist on pesto—with walnuts standing in for pine nuts and with a mix of herbs in place of summery basil. It's great on pasta or chicken.

Asiago cheese can be found at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and Italian markets.

Using turkey makes this take on the Hungarian beef stew lighter. Adjust the heat level by using all hot paprika, all sweet paprika, or a combination.

You'll use this mixture to sweeten all three gelati. But the syrup is also useful for sweetening iced tea, fresh fruit drinks, and flavored cocktails.