Fruit

Think of the crunchy, granolaish sesame clusters as seedy croutons for this juicy and bracing salad.

A sparkling drink made blush with a tart beet granita. Ruby-skinned beets are an unexpected but welcome ingredient in cocktails: their high sugar content and bright hue make them an excellent, all-natural way to add a pop of color and flavor. Here, the beets are pureed into a granita, with spicy star anise and allspice to complement their earthy undertones, and then topped with a refreshing dose of prosecco.

Hard liquor, served hot. In times past, hot toddies were often prescribed as a head-cold remedy. Today, liquor as medication is generally frowned upon because of its dehydrating effects. However, if you're one of those people who can't tolerate over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, this beverage may offer the relief you need—just drink an extra glass of water to replenish your body.

Writer Peter Jon Lindberg's Swedish grandmother Alice Lindberg made these cookies each Christmas. The recipe makes about 9 dozen cookies, making it great for holiday parties and edible gifts.

A simple snack that takes advantage of the season's first garlic, which is harvested before the bulbs form. Delicious hot or cold.

This is a perfect autumn salad: not so much cooked as wilted greens in a warm, savory-sweet vinaigrette. Here in the South, we are lucky to have so many different greens that grow remarkably well virtually all year round. From the traditional collards, spinach, mustard, and turnip greens to the international varieties that have recently made their way here, including bok choy, tatsoi, and komatsuna, there are a variety of tastes and textures to choose from. No matter where you live, experiment with seasonal greens until you find your favorites. If you're shopping at the farmers' market, most of the vendors will be happy to let you have a few nibbles for taste-testing. The same goes for the squash—you can use butternut, acorn, pumpkin, African, or any similar variety. At Summerland Farm, we are lucky to have American chestnut trees planted by my ancestors, and even luckier that those trees survived the chestnut blight that killed most American chestnuts in the first half of the twentieth century. Fresh chestnuts—often grown in California—are available in many natural foods stores in the cooler months. If you can't find chestnuts, hazelnuts or cashews would make a good substitute.

The idea here is to concentrate a few strong complementary flavors to create a cake that is pleasantly bitter and not too sweet. Tartine chiffon cake is made with whole-grain dark buckwheat flour, and then layered with blood orange marmalade and bergamot-infused blackout chocolate ganache. The ganache sets quickly, so cut your cake layers and have your filling and syrup on hand when ready to assemble.

Flavor Profile: Spicy, tart, aromatic, salty, umami-rich Try it with: Any Som Tam (Papaya salad and family) and/or Phat Khanaeng (Stir-fried Brussels sprouts). Needs Khao Niaw (Sticky rice). The recipe for steak salad is a classic, but naam tok made with mushrooms is less common. Yet mushrooms are everywhere in Thailand and echo the texture and even the umami-rich flavor of animal flesh. Thailand has a long history of vegetarian food, for strict Buddhists and those celebrating Buddhist holidays. And while I rarely spend time considering the needs of vegetarians, I figured that if I swapped out the fish sauce in the original for thin soy sauce, then they'd have something to eat at Pok Pok.

Most gluten-free flour mixes rely on rice flour or cornstarch, which can create a gummy texture. But the main ingredient in Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour is garbanzo flour. The muffins we made with it had the best flavor, texture, and color out of all the brands we tried.

If the batter thickens as it sits, thin with more club soda.

This elegant salmon dish is perfect for a winter dinner party—just slide it into a low oven for 40 minutes and it’s ready to serve.

Had kasha or soba? You've tasted buckwheat. The flour has an earthy, mineral flavor that pairs especially well with tart fruits, like these cherries.

I love grapefruit cocktails year-round, but the rye and sage make this one especially wintry.

This dressing is a little sweet from the miso and pear, and aromatic from the ginger and lime; pair it with something peppery, like radishes for dipping or a watercress salad.

This is a great bitter-sweet combo. Dip peel in melted chocolate for an after-dinner treat.

My elementary school grapefruit, all grown up. I like the low notes of the dried chiles and rosemary against the sweet-tart citrus.