Herbs & Spices

<p>Who knew that making your own fruit spread could be so easy and so delicious? I promise this recipe will not disappoint. And it's a perfect complement to the <epi:recipeLink ="350666">Perfect Crostini</epi:recipeLink.</p>

With a little planning, this addictive treat can be easily thrown together at the last minute. Infuse the honey up to 24 hours in advance and arrange the blue cheese on crackers several hours ahead of time. Then, just before serving, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with scallions. Blue cheese can be tricky to cut into slices. Freezing will make it firmer and much easier to slice.

This recipe yields two extra portions for second helpings. The hens are brined for at least six hours, so be sure to plan ahead. To make things easier, ask the butcher to halve the hens for you.

Food editor Shelley Wiseman thinks sweet potatoes are naturally sweet enough when caramelized in the oven, so she eschewed brown sugar and "savorized" them instead with garlic oil. Sage leaves—too potent and fuzzy to eat fresh but mellow when fried—serve as a lovely garnish for this autumnal side dish.

Dressing up jarred eggplant and canned tuna results in an incredibly lusty lunch. An easy tomato and mint salad spooned on top adds just the right touch of fresh acidity.

You can’t go wrong with a traditional bread stuffing, especially when it’s enlivened with fresh sage and celery leaves. Broad chunks of baguette, golden and crisp on top, soak up turkey stock and buttery juices from the sautéed onions and celery.

Before the storm of desserts comes the palate-cleansing calm. This playful, snowy mound of savory celery with hints of green apple and tarragon refreshes after the preceding spread. Counterintuitive as it may seem, taking a break before dessert¿to eat a pre-dessert¿will help you enjoy the sweet abundance that awaits.

Chinese Rice Porridge with Turkey and Ginger

Nothing evokes the fall season like a plate of pork chops and apples, but we upped the ante with spicy horseradish, which adds new verve to this timeless dish.

We love the cinnamon in Mexican chocolate. For this pie, we surround a smooth chocolate-pudding filling with cinnamon—a crumbly spiced graham cracker crust below and cinnamon whipped cream on top.

Truth be told, it’s hard to reinvent the Thanksgiving wheel year after year. But this crust—anise seeds baked into sweet pastry dough—is a little kiss of Italian spice; it takes pumpkin pie to a whole new level.

When tomatoes are at their peak, I could eat them three times a day and straight from the vine. But every once in a while, it's nice to give them a little special attention. When that time comes, this is the recipe I turn to. It's a tartlet that looks like it takes all day to make, but is really a quickie. It's warmed in the oven for such a short time that the tomatoes never lose their fresh-picked taste and texture. I serve these as a first course at dinner or with a salad as the main event at lunch.

Open a cold beer and dig in to this heap of potatoes, corn, and shrimp for a taste of Louisiana summer.

The Thanksgiving turkey conundrum: How to keep the breast meat from drying out while the dark meat finishes cooking? By roasting a bone-in turkey breast by itself, we've eliminated the stress and cut the cooking time by several hours. What you get is perfectly moist, tender white meat with crisp, salty skin—all in under an hour. If you don't have time to make the gravy, skip it. This succulent bird doesn't need it.

Be well this fall: Have one bowl and you'll spoon up nearly three quarters of your daily requirement for vitamin C.

Known as the Mexican green tomato, tomatillos supply vitamin A.

Use this flavor-enhancing salt on any meat or fish, or even on cheese.

Parisian chefs have been seduced by lemongrass. This riff on peppercorn sauce uses vermouth instead of the customary brandy to cut the richness of the steak.

This colorful one-pot main dish meshes savory mussels with Asian aromatics for a contemporary take on moules marinière. Bottled fresh carrot juice is a flavorful (and not-to-be-sniffed-at) shortcut.

Inspired by a dessert served at Le Bistro Paul Bert, in Paris, we used Indian spices to restyle this elegant classic custard. It takes its French name ("eggs in the snow") from the lightly poached dollops of meringue that top it.