Bruce Aidells

Yes, fish can be autumnal, too. Fresh wild mushrooms and fennel pollen are the key ingredients in this elegant dish.

Quince—hard and astringent when raw—becomes tender and slightly sweet as it cooks, making it a nice pairing for the Middle Eastern-spiced pork. This dish needs to be started at least two days ahead.

Pronounced "mock shoe," this Louisiana staple (which is like a succotash) is a Cajun take on a Native American dish.

This satisfying dish, with its great Italian flavors, makes the most of the last-of-the-season eggplant and tomatoes. In place of polenta, the vegetables and lamb can be served over penne, ziti, or rigatoni.

Cauliflower is a nice surprise and crème fraîche adds some tanginess to this inventive version of macaroni and cheese.

A cold-weather favorite, this all-beef, no-bean chili gets added appeal from a seasonal ingredient: butternut squash. For best results, make the chili at least one day ahead so that the flavors have time to meld.

Stuffing the game hens before roasting them keeps the meat incredibly moist. Classic American ingredients—apples, cornbread, and fresh corn—make this a great recipe for a small Thanksgiving. But you may not want to wait that long before you try it.

Comfort food at its best. This hash is great for breakfast, brunch, or even dinner. Use one or two eggs per person. The eggs can be partially poached up to one hour ahead and then finished a couple of minutes before serving.

Spicy horseradish cream and malty Guinness mustard amp up the flavor of this home-corned beef. You might need to special-order the brisket from your butcher, and you'll have to start brining the meat eight days before you cook and serve it. The Insta Cure No. 1 is optional, but it's nice to use because it gives the meat its traditional pink color. Save the leftover corned beef and vegetables for the sandwiches and hash.

Roasting the meat for almost seven hours makes it tender and succulent. The bright, fresh salsa verde is the perfect accent for the rich meat.

Grinding dried porcini mushrooms in a spice mill creates a deeply flavorful coating for the steaks.

Serve with warm flatbread or pita bread.

The coffee marinade is sweetened slightly with a little maple syrup, and the sauce gets a kick thanks to a jalapeño chile.

All of the gravy recipes here call for this enhanced stock. What makes it so special? Instead of water, canned chicken broth gets the recipe off to a flavorful start. Simmered with vegetables and the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard, this stock is the key to great gravy.

Both the turkey and the gravy get big-time flavor from earthy dried porcini mushrooms.

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.