Fall

Ready your griddle. These pancakes capture the golden sweetness of corn cut from the cob. Drizzle warm maple syrup on them for breakfast or serve them as a side dish with salsa and sour cream.

An amazing mix of textures and flavors—nutty, sweet, salty, plus a touch of heat from the peppercorns.

This tartlet is complex, but well worth the effort. It sprang from the mind of our bakery's apple-obsessed chef, Eric Wolitzky (he is from the apple heartland of upstate New York), who was attempting to wring more flavor from the traditional apple pie. We’re still huge fans of the classic, but this version—with its perfect ratio of caramel to apple to buttery crust and crunchy topping—is now our must have apple dessert. At the bakery, we put the tartlets out at noon, and they are gone by 12:30 p.m., so we feel fairly confident that people share our new obsession.

Greek-style yogurt gives the cake a rich, moist texture.

Pleasantly pungent and sweetened to taste with honey, this tea soothes and refreshes after a big meal. (We also like to brew a pot any time we feel a little under the weather.) Nibbling on the pine nuts as you sip the hot tea helps soften its strong flavors.

A Provençal barigoule is almost always applied to artichokes, but why limit yourself? Nutty-sweet Brussels sprouts take beautifully to the wine-lemon broth.

No southern holiday meal would be complete without sweet potatoes, and this simple twist on old-fashioned candied yams, with the addition of molasses and an orange's juice and zest, tastes bright and full of nuance.

This Greek-inspired shepherd's pie is made with lamb, eggplant, and oregano. The mashed potato topping gets its Greek flavor from kasseri cheese, a hard, salty cheese. If you can't find kasseri cheese, use Pecorino Romano instead. Finish the dish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh oregano, if desired.

Serve as a side dish or a vegetarian main course. Look for bouillon base in the market’s soup section or order it from amazon.com.

Fresh fennel and fennel seeds infuse the couscous with a subtle anise flavor.

There's no better partner for caramel than a nice, crisp apple. Here, that great combination gives added appeal to a simple winter crisp.

This cashew, pine nut, and walnut tart is reminiscent of a pecan pie, but caramel sauce stands in for the cornsyrup filling. Serve with dollops of freshly whipped cream.

Bananas Foster—the New Orleans favorite—in bread-pudding form. The caramel sauce is especially rich and flavorful, thanks to a splash of dark rum.

A terrific side for roast pork loin or roast chicken. Smoky cheese and bacon are stirred into rich and creamy mashed potatoes. You can mash the potatoes with a regular masher or—even better—a ricer.

Green apple and a dash of cider vinegar provide just the right amount of tart balance in this slightly sweet, down-home soup topped with homemade bacon bits.

Sweet butternut squash teams up with earthy red lentils to make this simple and satisfying vegetarian dinner.

Walnuts are commonly paired with whole wheat, but something pretty great happens when you team them up with tangy rye and bits of sweet sautéed onion instead. A batch of these is especially tasty alongside a platter of your favorite cheeses.

The delicate crust of this galette gets a warm spiciness from fresh sage.

Classic shape plus not-so-classic flavors gives these rolls an element of surprise. That’s not to say the wintry blend of pumpkin and orange is overpowering; it’s actually very subtle, so the rolls go with just about anything you put on the dinner table. Leftovers would be awfully good slathered with butter and toasted for breakfast.