Dried Apricot

For dessert, Grimes was inspired by something from Vienna, a little farther along the Danube: linzertorte. It's traditionally made with hazelnuts and raspberry jam, but this version, with its warmly spiced almond pastry and vivid apricot filling, spoke to Grimes of the highly polished coffeehouses in that part of the world. Cooking dried apricots with brandy and sugar allows you to control the sweetness quotient, and the result is all about the magically musky, tangy fruit.

Editor's note: This recipe is from chef Wolfgang Puck. Braising is a great way to coax tenderness from tough cuts of meat. The term applies when the main ingredient is a relatively large cut and the amount of liquid is relatively small. The moist, gentle heat gradually breaks down the meat to melting softness while releasing the big flavor that hardworking muscles develop. Beef brisket is one of my favorite candidates. The cut comes from just under the first five ribs, behind the foreshank. Large and stringy, brisket is usually sold cut into halves, one relatively square and the other tapering to a point. Both are delicious, but the point cut, as it is known, has more flavor because it is slightly fattier. Here I braise the meat in a combination of beef broth and red wine, with aromatic root vegetables and dried apricots, a popular Eastern European flourish.

Pollo con Frutos y Frutas Secas As this recipe demonstrates, Ferran Adrià, the alchemist chef of El Bulli, is as practical as he is inventive. It's adapted from the cookbook he dedicated to quick recipes that can be made with supermarket ingredients, and it features a store-bought rotisserie chicken that's deliciously doctored with a sauce of dried fruit, pine nuts, and port wine. Though you can whip the dish up in less than half an hour, the flavors are sophisticated enough for a fancy dinner party. If you'd like to roast your own chicken, so much the better.

Ever dream about bringing an impressive roast to the holiday table with equally impressive ease? Now you can. Stuffing and preparing the pork a day ahead leaves you free to entertain and makes the meat especially flavorful as well. Bacon wrapped around the roast keeps it moist as it cooks. Prunes and dried apricots simmered in Port bring a fruity but not overly sweet intensity to the pork and its sauce.

This recipe originally accompanied Curried Lamb Samosas with Apricot Chutney .

There’s nothing quite like making your own granola. You can toss in as many nuts and fruits as you want and sweeten it to your taste. While the possibilities are endless, we love this honey-sweetened variation with sesame seeds. The cardamom clings to the almonds, dried apricots and pears, and oats, adding an exotic touch.

Filets de Rouget et Haricots Verts Sauté aux Fruits Secs Highly prized for its firm, mild flesh, red mullet is a darling of French and Mediterranean chefs. Here, it sits on a splendid textural bed of haricots verts, dried apricots, and pine nuts.

When steeped overnight in a grappa syrup, dried fruits plump up with juices that infuse a moist, cakey almond filling in a golden crust.

A light variation that’s a nice counterpoint to the many rich dishes on the Thanksgiving table.

We like to use California apricots (sometimes labeled "Pacific") in this dessert. They tend to be a deeper orange, and they have a tang that's occasionally lacking in the Turkish or Mediterranean varieties.

Brandy and apricots amp up the flavor of these fritters. The finishing touch? A dark-chocolate sauce.

This simple apricot-based condiment tastes as bright and sunny as it looks. Spread it on toast like a homemade jam, stir some into yogurt or a vinaigrette, or use it as a filling for white or génoise layer cakes.

Bulgur is an earthy, nutty grain that becomes fluffy once cooked. It's an ideal canvas for aromatic and sweet flavors.

Any combination of dried fruit and nuts will work here, so choose your favorites or just use what you have in your cupboard. For a sweeter treat, swap in semisweet chocolate chips in place of bittersweet.

These classic candies (called sweetmeats by the British) look sinful but are little more than dried apricots, figs, and plums dusted with nuts, cocoa, or sugar.

The sauce would also taste great with pork tenderloin.

Semolina flour gives extra texture to the crust.

The cornbread needs to dry overnight, so start this at least one day ahead.