Simmer

Finish these spicy, smoky, guacamole-topped tacos with crisp, thinly sliced radishes and bright lime, and get ready to watch them disappear.

To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the bacon and add a splash of oil.

This is a winning-contestant recipe from Season Four of FOX's MasterChef.

Washington, DC's renowned chef-owner of Citronelle has a special relationship with seafood: He was born in Brittany on the northwest coast of France. Chef Michel Richard has been decorated with nearly every cooking award, including the James Beard award, and he is known for combining fresh California ingredients with traditional French cooking. This recipe, a simplified take on a traditional French bouillabaisse, is sure to satisfy.

Cooked gently over a low heat, lamb shank becomes meltingly tender—perfect for an elegant, restorative broth.

This pasta salad is a clever take on a well-loved soup. Because it's served at room temperature, it makes a great side dish at a picnic or barbecue. It's colorful and extremely flavorful, with pesto, beans, and vegetables.

I prefer caramel that flirts on the edge of burnt, especially in this rice pudding, which is inspired by classic Italian risotto. Here, cooked until it's very dark, with a smoky, bitter edge, the caramel balances the milky sweetness of the rice. This is also an unusual pudding in that it forgoes much of the milkiness of the other grain puddings in this chapter. I cook the rice in water, with just a little milk. The liquid is gradually evaporated when the rice is mixed with the caramel, leaving an intensely flavored sauce. This is very rich pudding, but that quality comes almost entirely from the caramel itself—not the dairy.

There's nothing, um, vanilla about our homemade version of the classic. Of course, it also makes a great base for your favorite upgrades.

Feel free to use cooked bulgur, barley, or couscous instead of quinoa

Use a pre-made custard as your base and paddle in a sweet-and-boozy cherry and bourbon topping.

Two tips: To save time, you can buy 2 steamed whole lobsters or 2 cups of cooked lobster meat. And, when prepping the corn, save your cobs for corn stock.

Steal chef Sean Rembold's restaurant move: Use one ingredient—carrots—two ways.

"I totally ripped this off from my mom." —Allie Lewis Clapp, food editor

When it comes to buying feta, you've got choices. We love the firm texture and sheep's-milk tang of Bulgarian or Greek.

Just as easy and fun to cook as they are to eat, mussels deserve a spot in your weeknight dinner rotation.

Warm spices, supersweet Sun Gold tomatoes, and a short cooking time reinvent the ordinary marinara.

Fresher and more vibrant than the jarred stuff, this easy-to-make relish is good on hot dogs, burgers, and grilled sausages.

This is my version of the traditional Chilean squash and bean stew. It's wonderfully hearty and warming and, like so many such dishes, even better if you leave it for twenty-four hours and reheat it gently before serving.