Herbs & Spices

We tweaked this Old World sweet-and-sour dish with confit duck, and the amazing result knocked us out.

Rustic, tangy salmoriglio is the Italian equivalent of chimichurri, the popular Argentinean herb sauce.

The recipe and introductory text below are from Alex Jamieson's book, The Great American Detox Diet.

Editor's note: This recipe was created by Erika Lenkert, author of the book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining. For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party, click here. I adore this cocktail recipe because it's refreshing, pretty, and has subtly mint and cucumber flavors that will keep everyone guessing at exactly what's in it. You can dress it up for an evening fete by straining it and serving it up with edible gold or silver flecks as it is done here, or dress it down by throwing everything — mint, cucumber slices, and all — into a serving pitcher. Best of all, you can skip squeezing limes all day by using limeade concentrate. Shhhh. It'll be our secret.

The sugared herb sprig is a super-easy, sophisticated garnish.

Doughnuts meet bananas Foster in this playful dessert.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month. Click here to learn more about eggnog.

Juniper berries add a wintery, almost piney flavor. They're available in the spice section of many supermarkets and online from deandeluca.com.

This creamy-crispy take on mashed potatoes, similar to a giant latke, is ideal for a dinner party because it can be assembled ahead.

Serve this Basque-style dish with rice or bread to soak up all the juices.

Brunch and dessert collide in this delicious dish.

The one-two punch of peas in this healthy vegetarian soup is dynamite.