Nut

Roasted red and green grapes add juicy flavor and refreshing tanginess to this satisfying pilaf-style dressing.

Impress your guests with these individual flourless chocolate cakes. The lack of flour makes the cakes very moist—and causes them to sink a bit in the middle.

Chef Charlie Palmer shared this recipe for one of his signature dishes at his Dry Creek Kitchen restaurant in Sonoma, California, exclusively with Epicurious. Crisp-skinned, juicy duck breasts are accented with gingery fried rice and sweet roasted peaches for a stunning dish that's surprisingly simple to make. Note that the recipe makes more than enough soy-lime emulsion for the fried rice. Leftover emulsion, which will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days, can be used in stir-fries and salads or as a sauce for tuna tartare or dumplings.

Chang's two restaurants cater decidedly to the pork lover, and this salad is no exception. Among the sweet, smoky, and tart notes tossed together, you'll get an occasional zing of heat from the chili nuts (which, served on their own, may very well become your new favorite bar snack).

Chefs will tell you that sometimes inspiration comes from the exalted—but just as often by chance. "I was shopping for porcini mushrooms at a restaurant-supply store and saw a bag of king oyster mushrooms sitting next to a package of some amazing pistachios," says Chang, though this sophisticated dish would never give away its accidental origins.

We've never seen a spin on the ubiquitous combination of beets, cheese, and nuts as original as Smith's—it's an amazing take on familiar flavors. The beets are nestled in a pool of almond butter and crowned with a glorious Gorgonzola bombolone (an Italian-style puff of fried dough).

You'll reach for this recipe again and again for its stunning simplicity and for how well it works with any aperitif. Roasting the hazelnuts in the oven results in a deep nuttiness, which is then brought firmly into the savory realm with a sprinkling of salt and thyme.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Molto Italiano by Mario Batali. It's part of a special menu created by Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. Insalata Caprese Invernale I love this winter version of the Neapolitan classic because it is very easy to do, and the slow-roasted tomatoes are better than any regular tomatoes for all but about three months of the year. The extra pesto keeps well in the fridge for two weeks, provided you cover the top with a half-inch of extra-virgin olive oil.

This is a wonderfully easy cake with flavors for which Piemonte is known. The best hazelnuts in Piemonte are called tonda gentile delle Langhe—the “gentle round one of the Langhe”—and with a bit of chocolate, you have the match made famous in Torino, gianduja. I love this torte for its versatility as well. I serve it simply with powdered sugar or whipped cream, or you can flank it with a scoop of chocolate ice cream or give it a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce. In Piemonte, I’ve had the torte with zabaglione—and if you turn to page 156, you’ll find a perfect partner in Zabaglione al Caffe` Nero.

Try this with the Moroccan-Style Roast Chicken .

The praline is also great on its own as a snack; it would be an excellent gift.

Leftover caramel will keep for a week in the fridge; rewarm it and serve over ice cream.

Serve this with a side of steamed basmati rice or Savory Semolina . Be sure to let guests know that there are whole cloves in the finished dish.

The lamb needs to marinate overnight.

In this free-form tart, the filling is mounded in the center of the pastry and the edges are simply folded up around it.

This simple, slightly crunchy cake needs only a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Chopped walnuts, herbs, and panko become a crisp, flavorful coating for the halibut fillets.