Paul Grimes

Food editor Paul Grimes credits his cooking-school teacher chef Fernand Chambrette of école de Cuisine La Varenne, in Paris, with teaching him how to waste nothing and how to coax flavor even out of scraps. But this is not just an exercise in virtuosity, since the butter carries every last drop of sweet sea essence rendered from the shells. Keep any extra in your freezer and scoop some out whenever you want to punch up a seafood dish.

When was the last time you had a traditional, everything-from-scratch bisque? The rarity of an execution this loving, along with those succulent lumps of meat, guarantees groans of pleasure at the Christmas table. The intensely crabby finishing touch, with its base akin to drawn butter, will delight veteran crustacean eaters.

The legacy of San Francisco's Italian and Portuguese immigrants—many of them fishermen—lives on in this fuss-free take on the North Beach favorite, with fresh fennel adding a subtle touch of anise to the tomato-based seafood stew.

Split and browned bratwurst provides contrast in a Normandy-style pairing of apples and cream.

Like an eastern European take on ravioli, this embodiment of Polish comfort food is right at home in a lively tomato sauce with dill and caraway seeds.

Requiring labor-intensive veal stock and a tableside flambé, this tony restaurant dish is usually impractical for the home cook. But we've found a shortcut you'll love: Using just a bit of puréed black-bean soup creates a wonderfully velvety—and completely convincing—sauce.

The flavors of a classic New York cookie make a nostalgic malted.

Be sure not to overblend — the little bits of fruit add a pleasant textural contrast. The pitted dates available in supermarkets work well.

With adults in mind, we've created a creamier version of the blended frozen drinks offered at many coffee shops.

Now's the perfect time for strawberries at their peak, and here is a way to celebrate all their fabulous flavor.

If you remember drinking Orange Julius, this shake will strike a chord.

Roasting the garlic mellows the flavor, which results in an aioli that is less pungent than traditional ones. Besides enhancing the taste of Cornish hens, this makes a perfect accompaniment to vegetables, lamb, and fish, and it's great as a dip.