Gourmet

Food editor Ruth Cousineau learned this technique in Seville; it ensures the eggplant maintains its shape and flavor perfectly.

Combining sweet, sour, salty, and bitter ingredients with a tangy vinaigrette,this salad almost explodes with flavor.

Having broth as a tapa is an old custom that's becoming popular again in both Spain and the U.S. Food editor Ruth Cousineau set out to make just the broth, but the resulting short rib meat was so delicious (even after cooking in broth all that time) that she didn't want to waste it, so she came up with a use for it in a short rib terrine. This recipe is traditionally made with oxtails, but we substituted short ribs and beef shanks because they're easier to get in most supermarkets. If you'd like to try it with oxtails instead of ribs and shanks, use 6 pounds of oxtails (preferably from grass-fed beef, such as Niman Ranch).

This tart was inspired by the torta di cioccolata at Florence's Trattoria Garga. (The recipe appeared in our September 1993 issue.) Tender candied clementine peel adds citrus flavor, making this trufflelike tart even dreamier and evoking the taste of chocolate-dipped candied orange peel.

This authentic soup is essentially an ancient doctor's curative that combines the healing magic of chicken broth, the circulation-enhancing qualities of tree fungus and lily buds, and the antiseptic properties of vinegar. The heat isn't from chiles — it's actually from freshly ground white pepper. Bruce Cost prefers the flavor of Pearl River Bridge Golden Superior brand soy sauce for this dish and for the Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage and Dried Scallops .

In Spain, boquerones can be a variety of small fish, pickled or not. In the U.S., however, the term always refers to anchovies that have been pickled in vinegar (which whitens them). They have a flavor similar to pickled herring, which complements the sweetness of the roasted peppers.

If you only have sweet Spanish smoked paprika on hand, you can mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of it with 1/8 teaspoon cayenne as a substitute for hot Spanish smoked paprika.

It's easy to stereotype salad as summertime fare, but this dish proves otherwise. Shredded beef and warm potatoes pair up with a lively mustard vinaigrette to create this satisfying meal.

This pie, an easy take on toffee with bananas (hence the name), made its debut at The Hungry Monk, a pub in England, in 1972. Traditional recipes involve boiling unopened cans of condensed milk, but since that sometimes results in explosions, we thought you might prefer our method.