Shallot

Celery root, a popular fall vegetable, tastes like a cross between celery and parsley.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

At The Riviera restaurant in Dallas, this delicious main course is teamed with steamed asparagus and fingerling potatoes roasted with rosemary.

If venison isn't for you, beef tenderloin is a good alternative (see cooks' note, below). Because beef is not as dense and rich as venison, the portions are slightly larger (cooking times and temperatures will also be different).

This elegant first course is ideal for entertaining, because everything can be prepared a day ahead (just chop up all the toppings and refrigerate them until ready to use).

The Mediterranean fish soup bourride is something like a bouillabaisse but has a consistency more like stew. Instead of putting the aïoli directly into the soup, as is traditional, Adams likes to dollop it onto toasts.

This appetizer can be made with the leftover snails from Scallops with Snail-Garlic Butter and Leeks .

Serve as a first course on a bed of arugula or as a side dish with grilled beef or chicken.

We used chef Fergus Henderson's technique for braising duck legs so the skin sides, peeking above the liquid like "alligators in a swamp," stay crisp while the meat braises.

Cranberry sauce or huckleberry preserves can be substituted for the lingonberry preserves. Serve with: Roasted fingerling potatoes tossed with dill, and a mixed green salad.

Coarse kosher salt — or any other coarse salt — will add texture and enhance the flavor of the meat. Serve with: Oven-roasted new potatoes, thin green beans, and a crusty baguette.

From the Snake River Grill in Jackson, Wyoming.

Liptauer gained its name from the provenance of the fresh sheep's milk cheese with which it was originally made, Lipto, Hungary. Our version of this seasoned spread is made with cream cheese.

Serve this lush, smooth soup as part of an Asian or Western meal. Large wedges of pumpkin with a pale gray-green skin are sold in Southeast Asian groceries and in Caribbean produce markets. Pick out the pumpkin with the reddest flesh. You can also use an orange "pie pumpkin."

These beets would be a great way to liven up simple roasted meats such as pork and chicken.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 hr