Spreads

_Editor's note: This recipe is from chef Wolfgang Puck. The tapenade can be served as an hors d'oeuvre, in a small bowl, surrounded with tiny toasted bread slices or crackers. At Spago, we spread goat cheese onto lightly toasted croutons, top them with the tapenade, and serve them with our Caesar Salad._

Blood oranges are small, sweet, nearly seedless oranges with vivid bright red flesh. They have a slightly floral flavor with berry undertones. Blood oranges are in season from December to June and are available at some supermarkets, at specialty foods stores and farmers’ markets, and from melissas.com.

These sandwiches are portable and keep well in a lunch box. The hummus should be thick for the sandwiches, but if you want to enjoy the leftovers as a dip, thin slightly with a little extra olive oil.

A vegetarian spin on rillettes, the rich, creamy pàté traditionally made with duck or pork.

his upscale take on pimiento cheese is smoky and sweet, thanks to paprika and piquillos.

This easy appetizer is packed with flavor. And since this is a Latin-themed party, don’t forget to set out a bowl of chips with your favorite salsa.

This fresh chutney combines pineapple with a recent Parisian obsession—mangoes—for a vibrant counterpoint to rich pâté.

A Syrian roasted-pepper and walnut spread, muhammara is a great alternative to hummus. 1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers in olive oil with garlic, drained.

File this one under "secret weapon" and pull it out whenever you need a quick but impressive appetizer. Warming the olives in thyme- and-lemon-zest-infused oil awakens their flavor and transforms a goat-cheese medallion into a sumptuous warm spread for flatbread.

Brandy adds a little kick to this jam. Spread on toast or serve with a cheese plate.

Sealed jars may be stored in a cool, dry, dark place for up to one year. Unsealed jars must be refrigerated and jam must be used within a few weeks. For an even quicker jam, skip the canning instructions, ladle hot jam into clean jars, and store the jam in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

This simple apricot-based condiment tastes as bright and sunny as it looks. Spread it on toast like a homemade jam, stir some into yogurt or a vinaigrette, or use it as a filling for white or génoise layer cakes.

The chicken calls for oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, and this dip cleverly makes use of some of that oil.

In the discussion of preserving fruit By canning versus freezing, why doesn't this technique ever come up? Peacock credits the late Edna Lewis for teaching him to mix mashed fruit with sugar for a sort of jam that he says keeps for a year when refrigerated. (We only tested up to one month, but so far, so good.) "It's a very old-fashioned method," he says. "The flavor is fresh and intense and delicious spooned onto hot Buttered Buttermilk Biscuits or Yeast Rolls ." Try it with raspberries or strawberries, too.

Tarama (or taramasalata) is a Greek spread traditionally made with carp roe, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, milk, olive oil, and seasonings. Here, smoked salmon adds an extra dose of flavor.