This tapa of fried goat cheese with onion confit combines two iconic Spanish ingredients into a tantalizing small bite that’s all sweetness and tang.

Versatile eggplant does appetizer duty as a mini pizza crust covered with sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, balsamic vinegar, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Sweet and salty, this black bean and pepper shrimp stir fry is a hit on the flavor parade. Dry the pineapple in the oven to intensify the sweetness.

Utterly fresh, these oysters–drizzled with a sauce filled with ginger, soy sauce, and lemon juice–are best when just shucked. Do try for Pacific oysters.

This pumpkin soup gets a boost from apples and a bite from a cupful of Irish cider. The soup, with its intense pumpkin flavor, makes for great fall fare.

With its layers of textures and colors, this soupy stewy concoction is far more enticing than the name would have you believe.

A pure summer delight is this tart. All the seasons best ingredients–leeks, corn, and basil–come together in this easy-to-make dish.

A Malaysian recipe, deep-fried tofu and fresh summer vegetables simmer in richly flavored coconut milk. For vegetarians, just omit the shrimp paste.

This hearty pinto bean soup is flavored with Mexican spices and thickened with masa harina. Serve over rice and add cheese for a complete dinner.

Fresh greens aren’t just for salads. Sorrel, spinach and lettuce are pureed in vegetable stock for a flavorful soup that tastes better than it looks.

by The Culinary Institute of America and Martha Rose Shulman from Culinary Boot Camp (John Wiley & Sons, 2006) Serves 6 This is a lovely variation of a classic French salad. Instead of herb- or breadcrumb-crusted rounds of goat cheese, the goat cheese is wrapped in phyllo and baked until the phyllo is browned. Then [...]

A fondue without the pot, Fontina cheese is broiled with garlic, olive oil, and thyme until it’s melted and bubbles. Scoop it up with hunks of bread.

Finger food at its best: tender shrimp dipped in garlic butter. Cooking the shrimp in their shells intensifies the flavor and keeps them moist.

Leek and potato soup with bacon is a family favorite. Tender leeks and earthy potatoes make this soup hearty. The bacon adds smokiness. A keeper soup.

Voluptuous Gorgonzola custards, called sformati, share a plate with thin slices of pears and watercress tossed in a vinaigrette. The custards can be baked ahead, so entertaining is easy.

Baked seafood imperial, a riff on crab imperial, is shellfish tossed with cream and seasonings, breaded, and baked. Seafood imperial can be small or big.

As fresh tasting as it is colorful, this Japanese inspired tuna tartare appetizer is best with cucumber, red onions, and chiles from the farmer’s market.

Easy to make with pre-baked pizza crust, this smoked salmon and red onion pizza is a nod to the blini and equally tasty with a glass of champagne.

Steamed mussels go from standard to superlative when doused in a delicate curry-white wine broth spiked with shallots, garlic, and lime and smoothed with cream.

This dish, called Trutas a Moda de Braganca, consists of trout wrapped in a deep red jacket of smoked Portuguese ham and fried in bacon drippings.