Gourmet

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The following is chef Robert Freitag's variation of a recipe by Joyce Goldstein, chef-owner of Square One, in San Francisco, until it closed in 1996. The chef likes to use king salmon when making this dish.

This confection calls for half of our recipe for sweet tartlet shells. Use the remaining half for Chocolate Raspberry Bites.

This side dish would be a perfect way to round out a meal of leftover roast chicken (or a bird from the local deli).

Chef Christian Thornton serves the cake with caramel ginger ice cream and a berry compote, but for the home cook he suggests an infinitely easier ginger whipped cream: Beat 2 cups chilled heavy cream to soft peaks and fold in 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger. Its airy softness tempers the intensity of the rich chocolate.

Terms like large and jumbo can vary among fishmongers. In this recipe we used what are known universally as "U 16/20s" (16 to 20 of them make a pound). We asked our fishmonger to shell and devein the shrimp for us. It cost a little more but saved lots of time. The dried Aleppo chile flakes we call for in this recipe are from the Aleppo province of northern Syria. Their earthy, robust flavor—with more richness than heat—is famous throughout the Middle East.

To ensure you get moist, beautiful-looking apricots, avoid those sold in boxes and bags that you can’t see through. If you buy Turkish apricots, keep in mind that they’re usually sold pitted but whole and, unlike most California apricots, will need to be halved horizontally.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

"My mother makes the most delicious chocolate caramel graham crackers," writes Barbara Walt Gustin of Kalamazoo, Michigan. "Everyone who tries them goes wild. They're so easy to make that the recipe gets passed on and on." Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 hr

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Supermarkets, as well as butcher shops, sell a variety of chicken sausage — just use your favorite.

Khoresht Gheimeh This Persian stew recipe is adapted from the one that chef Homa Khakpour serves at Shiraz Kabab Cafe and Food Market. It's a terrific main course, which she pairs with chelo (steamed rice with melted butter). Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 hr

If you're planning to use the leftovers to make the fried rice with pork and kale , reserve 3/4 cup of this sautéed kale.

These messy but irresistible ears of corn coated with cheese are a popular street snack in Mexico. For our recipe we used cotija, a crumbly, pungent, aged-curd cheese that can range in consistency from soft to very hard, depending on the brand. (We made ours with Los Fortales, a hard variety available at cheese shops and some specialty foods shops.) You can, however, substitute feta, which is more widely available. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 hr