Herbs & Spices

Two quintessential autumn ingredients—sage and cider—flavor this turkey-gravy combo.

A tangerine's skin is so thin that when it's cooked, you can eat the fruit—peel and all. Asian sweet chili sauce is an orange-colored, slightly spicy bottled Thai sauce; it's available in the As ian foods section of some supermarkets. Chinese five-spice powder can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets.

Many teething biscuits crumble and break too easily. These are a little sturdier and safer for baby to eat.

Tender and crisp, packed with delicate herbal and aromatic lemon flavors, these rolled shortbread cookies accented with a little sea salt are easy to prepare, versatile, and delicious.

The fool originated in England in the fifteenth or sixteenth century. It is a simple dessert that combines tart fruit with whipped cream. The British traditionally made this dessert with gooseberries, but in spring rhubarb is the perfect choice, with its bright, tart flavor. A very simple dessert to prepare (we wince to say any fool can make it), this recipe calls for cooking a compote and then folding in whipped cream. It is elegant served with a shortbread cookie, which adds a delicious crispy element. To really doll it up, add a Candied Rhubarb Strip.

Yogurt drinks are popular throughout India—some are flavored with sugar or fruit, while others, like this one, are more savory. "I give sample tastes of this all the time at the restaurant," says Susan Feniger, "and people are shocked by how refreshing it is."

Kick is the right word to describe this golden cocktail, which underscores the shot of ginger liqueur with ginger syrup and lemon.

A rich meal calls for a crisp salad, in shades of green and white, to cleanse your palate. Radish sprouts add a peppery bite to the crunchy jicama and flat leaves of parsley and celery.

Consider making extra of this spicy syrup—it's delicious stirred into tea, added to smoothies, or drizzled over ice cream.

Both ginger plants and tamarind trees grow in tropical spots around the world, including India, Asia, and Latin America, where the two seasonings are regularly used in marinades, sauces, and drinks. So it was only natural for Feniger to take some of the spicy ginger syrup she had developed for the Canton Ginger Kick and mix it with tart tamarind. The result is very fresh and very quaffable. Feniger says that when they make it at Street, they often save the tamarind pulp that's left in the sieve and add more water; that tamarind liquid will be thinner than the first batch, but it will still have enough of its signature fruity sharpness for another round.

What you find here and on page 96—aside from a striking striped presentation—is an equally beautiful expression of flavors. Because both beets and pears are at the height of their season, Lee has no desire, as he says, "to mess with them too much." He adds, "Nature trumps the ability of any chef." The ginger juice in the vinaigrette is inspired by Lee's Asian roots.

Turkey is a paradise for street-food fans, and when Feniger travels there, she especially loves nibbling on the airy doughnuts soaked in syrup that are offered by many vendors. She made them her own by lacing a basic cream-puff dough with cardamom and cinnamon. Dried rose hips steeped in the syrup add a little texture and tartness to the sticky, fragrant bites.

Enjoyed by millions in India, masala chai, a spiced, sweetened black tea mixed with milk, is now popular around the world. It is sold all over India by chai wallahs, or tea vendors, who pour the tea from big kettles into small cups. Americans have incorrectly shortened the name to chai (which means simply "milk tea"); masala refers to the combination of spices, which often includes cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper, fennel, and star anise. Although there are many chai blends available in supermarkets, making your own is quick and satisfying, and the results are much better.

This dressed-up rendition of a classic has a supremely satisfying filling.

Frying sage leaves is easy and provides a real wow factor. The sage and chestnuts make an ideal foil for these pillowy gnocchi.

Pumpkin is a member of the gourd family. Its flesh is fibrous and firm, and has an earthy, sometimes sweet, taste. It is used in Asian cooking in a number of ways, both savory and sweet. When buying pumpkin check that the skin is not pitted and that the stem is still intact. Rich in beta-carotene, pumpkins can help protect the body against heart disease.

Cinnamon sticks are made from long pieces of bark from various laurel trees that are rolled, pressed and dried. The type of cinnamon used in Thailand is from the Cassia tree. Cinnamon has a sweet, woody fragrance in both ground and stick forms. Rich in therapeutic essential oils, cinnamon warms the body and enhances digestion. It boosts metabolism and is thus useful for weight loss. It is also good for diabetes as it stimulates insulin production.