Herbs & Spices

Salty Italian bacon flavors both the turkey and the gravy. Does it get any better?

This gets a delicious lift from lemon in the butter, in the gravy, and under the skin, plus a shortcut for "preserved" lemons.

Deliciously sweet, savory, and salty.

This bread is turned out of the skillet to reveal a lovely array of whole sage leaves.

A great way to use the liver from your Thanksgiving turkey. (The turkey liver alone won't be enough—you'll have to mix in a few chicken livers.)

Chef Charlie Palmer shared this recipe for one of his signature dishes at his Dry Creek Kitchen restaurant in Sonoma, California, exclusively with Epicurious. Crisp-skinned, juicy duck breasts are accented with gingery fried rice and sweet roasted peaches for a stunning dish that's surprisingly simple to make. Note that the recipe makes more than enough soy-lime emulsion for the fried rice. Leftover emulsion, which will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days, can be used in stir-fries and salads or as a sauce for tuna tartare or dumplings.

Red lentils, faster-cooking than other varieties of the legume, are the foundation of this earthy, rustic soup. Light but satisfying, it's a wonderful (and easy) start to an autumn meal.

A frequent host of special dinners at Chez Panisse, Niloufer Ichaporia King is an amazing Parsi cook whose recipes are truly inspiring. When we saw this one in her new book, it struck us as the perfect marriage of whisper-light omelet and aromatic, dosa-like filling.

Like an eastern European take on ravioli, this embodiment of Polish comfort food is right at home in a lively tomato sauce with dill and caraway seeds.

The crisp edge and pillow-soft, chewy middle of these cookies will be the first things that strike you when you bite into them. But it's the faintly peppery traces of ginger that will make you crave more.

Pan-roasting gives these paper-thin slices of turnip—a study in richness and lightness—a delicate sweetness.

You'll reach for this recipe again and again for its stunning simplicity and for how well it works with any aperitif. Roasting the hazelnuts in the oven results in a deep nuttiness, which is then brought firmly into the savory realm with a sprinkling of salt and thyme.

Why serve plain iced tea when you can punch it up with healthy, natural flavors like ginger, mint, lemon and peach, as in Bonaparte's version here? A good reason to steep and sip: Tea's polyphenols may lower your risk for cancer.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Molto Italiano by Mario Batali. It's part of a special menu created by Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. Insalata Caprese Invernale I love this winter version of the Neapolitan classic because it is very easy to do, and the slow-roasted tomatoes are better than any regular tomatoes for all but about three months of the year. The extra pesto keeps well in the fridge for two weeks, provided you cover the top with a half-inch of extra-virgin olive oil.

Like tsatsiki, but with cilantro standing in for the mint, this tangy sauce packs a sneaky cayenne kick and makes an ideal accompaniment to grilled shrimp as well as the rice pilaf and the chicken kebabs.

This recipe was created by chef Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. It's part of a special menu he created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. Start this recipe a day before you plan to serve it. Both the pear jam and the panna cotta are best if chilled overnight.