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Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein's book, Raw.

(Schokoladeglasur) Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Rick Rodgers's book Kaffeehaus: The Best Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. To read more about Austrian cooking, click here. This recipe originally accompanied Sachertorte . This ebony-dark, shiny, intensely sweet chocolate glaze was originally invented to coat Sachertorte, but it's a great icing to use for many other baked goods. The authentic icing must be cooked into syrup that hardens to a fudge-like consistency (some bakers also temper the syrup, a difficult optional step). Schokoladeglasur stays glossy at any temperature, as long as the cake has an undercoat of preserves. Be sure to allow the undercoat to cool and set before applying the chocolate glaze, and use the chocolate glaze immediately after making it, while it is still warm and fluid. What to do with the leftover glaze that inevitably drips off the pastries and ends up underneath the cooling rack? It makes great hot chocolate! Scrape it up and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. When you want a cup of hot chocolate, place milk and a few tablespoons of the chocolate glaze to taste in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat, whisking often, to warm the milk and melt the glaze.

Chimichurri This recipe is excerpted from Shirley Lomax Brooks's book Argentina Cooks! We've also added some tips of our own below. Chimichurri is an absolute requirement for the famous Argentine asado or barbecue. The recipe for chimichurri that follows is only one of many, but it is typical of those you will find in the Pampas. Some locals use it as a salad dressing as well. And don't limit your chimichurri to asado; serve it with any broiled or roasted meat or poultry.

(Marillenglasur) Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Rick Rodgers's book Kaffeehaus: The Best Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. To read more about Austrian cooking, click here. This recipe originally accompanied Sachertorte. Fruit glazes — easily prepared from preserves — add flavor, protect crisp crusts from getting soft in contact with moist fillings, and provide a slick undercoat that adds extra sheen when another glaze is poured over the dessert. Apricot and red currant are the most versatile, as their acidity balances the sweetness of the dessert, but you can use another favorite flavor, if you wish. Just be sure to use preserves, and not jam or jelly, which have different fruit-sugar ratios. The preserves must be simmered for a few minutes to evaporate excess liquid and give a firm, slick finish to the glazed dessserts. It's best to turn an entire 12-ounce jar of preserves into glaze, storing the glaze in the empty preserves jar, so you have small amounts ready when needed.

(Narial Chutney) Editor's note: These instructions are excerpted from Julie Sahni's book Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. Sahni also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. This is the most popular relish of South India. Although its flavor will vary from state to state, it consists essentially of freshly grated coconut and mustard seeds. The mustard seeds are sizzled in hot oil and folded into the coconut. Some Indians flavor the relish with ground roasted yellow split peas (bhona channa dal ka ataa); others with tomato. But the most refreshing and fragrant is the Malayali version from Kerala, which adds chopped fresh coriander. This herb also tints the relish a very appealing pale green color. Coconut relish generally accompanies southern delicacies. Serve it with Foamy White Steamed Rice and Bean Dumplings and with southern or southwestern vegetarian meals that are characteristically flavored with black mustard seeds.

Happily, we found that the only word which rhymes with Clicquot was a tasty white rum.

This festive arrangement was inspired by the popular holiday wreaths decorated with fruits. They take their name from Luca Della Robbia, the 15th-century Florentine sculptor known for crafting lifelike garlands of leaves and fruits.

Improv: Substitute lemon peel for the orange peel, and cinnamon for the cardamom.

Begin the morning with the beautiful, festive (and easy) drinks.

Lewis Rossman of Half Moon Bay, California, writes: "I'm a chef, and Mediterranean is probably the best way to describe the kind of cooking I do at my restaurant, Cetrella. There's an emphasis on seafood, plus several dishes inspired by places I've visited like Provence and Catalonia. This is one of my favorite recipes from the menu. It also happens to be the thing I make at home all the time." Serve with crusty bread to dip into the tomato-anise sauce.

Fill a glass pitcher or punch bowl with this fun, fruity wine-based aperitif.

The olive-oil-glazed potatoes make a perfect accompaniment to this dish.

Editor's note:
The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Grace Young's book The Breath of a Wok. Young also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. For Young's article on Cantonese cooking, click here. Chef Lee Wan Ching of Yee Hen restaurant on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, taught me this recipe. Traditionally ginger is always cooked with broccoli — its warmth balances the coolness of yin vegetables such as broccoli. Just a small amount of ginger juice intensifies the flavor of the vegetables. To make ginger juice, grate a small amount of ginger and then squeeze it with your fingers to extract the juice.

Truffles are pressure-cooked during the canning process, which causes them to release some of their water content. Using just a bit of this truffle juice in a vinaigrette will impart a delicious woodsy flavor.