Dairy

Here, we pepped up the fail-safe brunch combination of bacon, egg, and cheese by adding handfuls of flavorful sautéed arugula. They'll be jumping out of bed for this one.

We're taking the highway to French elegance with these stacked desserts. Unsweetened whipped cream is a wonderful foil for gooey caramelized pears and flaky puff pastry.

Luke Ostrom is a great cook. We've worked together for a long time; we've spent long nights drinking and talking food; we even traveled through Italy together. He knows his stuff, no doubt. So when he tells me we should try something, I usually listen. But when he started going on about orzo in our opening-menu-planning sessions, I was less than enthusiastic. He loved it when he was a kid, he said. It was so soul-satisfying and delicious, he said. It would make a great side dish on our menu, he said. But I wasn't buying it. I thought orzo was the kind of comfort food you fed to children and invalids: too bland, too soft, too ... boring. Boy, was I wrong. Luke's take on orzo can definitely qualify as comfort food: it's hearty, warm, and delicious, the kind of thing you can't stop eating. But it's also grown-up and complex: the wild mushrooms give it a rich earthiness, and the orzo has a great mouth-feel. It's sort of like the mushroom risotto of your dreams—only it's way easier. It's a great match with poultry or meat; but as far as I'm concerned, ain't nothing wrong with sitting down to a big heaping bowlful of this stuff all on its own, topped with a handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

With all the amazing fresh produce available at this time of year, we always find ourselves facing the same dilemma: Which delicious, sun-warmed vegetable shall we choose tonight? But when food editor Ian Knauer threw the whole farm stand into a cornmeal crust, it took us only one bite to realize that he had solved the problem once and for all.

Spice up winter nights with this variation on a popular bar snack. In our version, the cream cheese is frozen and grated and the jalapeños are diced and folded into the batter to create a chunky, spicy fritter.

Pistou—France's pesto—gives these simply poached eggs tons of flavor.

Instead of breadcrumbs, this mac and cheese is topped with rich, pungent caramelized shallots and creamy, crumbled goat cheese.

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.

Be sure to use whole milk and whisk the batter by hand (overbeating with an electric mixer may prevent the puddings from puffing and rising).

Juicy, buttery roasted grapes top this simple ricotta dessert.

For the perfect ending, a not-too-sweet gelato is drizzled with limoncello, a lemon liqueur from Italy. Round out dessert with purchased cookies.

No need to heat up the oven. Not only is grilling faster than baking, but it also adds a nice smoky flavor to the pizza.

Also great made with ground lamb.

There are several secrets to perfect, crisp cannoli: 1). You need the right proportion of filling to shell. In America, cannoli are often too large, with too much filling. These are tiny and delicate, perfect for eating in just a couple of bites. 2). Use high-quality ingredients. Sheep's-milk ricotta is the most traditional, but good fresh cow's-milk ricotta will work fine as well. Be sure to drain it for an hour to avoid watering down the filling. Good-quality candied orange peel is important as well. If you can't find any that's fresh and plump, substitute freshly grated orange zest. 3). Most importantly, don't fill the shells until you're ready to serve them. Both the filling and the shells can be made one day ahead, but to avoid soggy shells, don't pipe the filling into them until the last minute. If you don't have a pastry bag, a one-gallon freezer bag with the end snipped off can be used to pipe the filling.

Tzatziki is a popular Greek sauce made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and dill. Here we've subbed in shallots for garlic and used it to top skewers of shrimp. Serve any leftovers with pita chips, as a substitute for mayo on roast chicken sandwiches, or as a sauce for grilled lamb.