Ham

Serve this Basque-style dish with rice or bread to soak up all the juices.

A crisp bread coating and savory serrano ham put a new spin on Eggs Florentine.

It takes only a few powerful ingredients like these to pull off amazingly full flavor. This rich, sophisticated pasta is guaranteed to keep the winter doldrums at bay.

No time to heat up a pizza stone? This easy alternative method yields a crisp crust in just minutes. Good-quality cheese, olive oil, and prosciutto go a long way toward making the pie truly memorable.

Classic taste, new look. The borders puff up beautifully to keep the filling in place.

This comforting side would also be great for brunch.

Looking for an elegant entrée to serve on Christmas Eve? You just found it.

Substituting fried ham for bacon is a great use of everyday deli meat. The sweet pears mellow chicory's pleasant bitterness.

No need to trouble yourself about presentation with these tapas-style hors d'oeuvres. Simply toss steamed mussels in a vinaigrette with piquillo peppers, toasted almonds, and serrano ham, then nestle them back into their shells. They're lovely on the plate—and easy to eat.

Taleggio is an Italian semisoft cheese. Its mildly piquant flavor sharpens with age and pairs especially well with the black truffles and prosciutto in this dish. Taleggio stands up to big Italian wines, like Barolo and Barbaresco.

Torta salata
Great on its own or as part of a meal, this tender bread is wonderfully rich, particularly when served warm.

Chef Michael Schlow of Boston's Via Matta created this dish for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. Serve with Schlow's Red Snapper with Black Olives, Capers, and Tomatoes.

Here, the old trick of moistening scrambled eggs with cream cheese is elevated with Boursin, which also adds flavor. This makes a good brunch dish or, when served with a salad, a satisfying light supper.

Terrine de Campagne The straightforward character of this terrine reminds us of the words of Richard Olney, an influential American cookbook writer and editor who rusticated in the French countryside for almost 50 years. "A simple terrine," he wrote in his Simple French Food, "is never so good as when prepared in the easiest possible way, all of the ingredients of the composition mixed, pell-mell but intimately, together."