Shallot

Slow-roasting a duck may take hours, but the result is velvety meat covered by a layer of gloriously crisp and salty skin. The herbed garlic and fennel filling melts into an aromatic confit during cooking.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Ted Allen's The Food You Want to Eat. For Allen's tips on throwing a Thanksgiving party, click here. This is another long-cooking method for cooking beans, not for the crisp-vegetable crowd. The shallots get very sweet with roasting. Add a squeeze of lemon or a little vinegar if you like, or toss in some chopped thyme.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Ted Allen's The Food You Want to Eat. For Allen's tips on throwing a Thanksgiving party, click here. A simple, terrific fall or winter side dish.

An update of duck à l'orange, this recipe replaces whole duck with Muscovy duck breasts, and the syrupy orange glaze of yore with a red-wine sauce and tart-sweet candied kumquats.

It's worth seeking out fresh cheese ravioli. They will make this meal special.

Sweet and spicy, these carrots are the perfect accompaniment to simple roast chicken, turkey, or pork loin.

When the weather warms up, these can be grilled, as they do at Spice Market. Look for the skewers in the kitchenware aisle.

Muscovy duck is the leanest of all domesticated duck breeds, yet tender and full-flavored. This technique makes it even leaner by first rendering the fat from the skin (which also makes it deliciously crisp). If you don't find Muscovy duck in stores, order it online from dartangnan.com or grimaud.com.

Link likes to use herbs from his garden in this recipe.

The combination of sweet and savory from pears and sausage is just what you want to take the chill off an autumn evening.

Good things do come in small packages. This quail is tender and juicy, and the marinade gives it a spicy sweetness. Best of all, you won't believe how easy it is—marinate, then it's less than 20 minutes between you and an elegant, delicious meal that's sure to impress.

Light and ultrasavory, this is a spread that's definitely worth making — it requires a minimal amount of work and tastes better than any store-bought version. And if you have any left over, you're in luck — it also tastes wonderful on bagels the next morning.

Rich, creamy, suave flavor is the hallmark of this terrine. The shallots create their own sauce, so this is best served on a plate rather than on a slice of bread.

This very traditional tartar sauce is better after resting a day or two in the refrigerator, giving the flavors a chance to meld.

Charlotte Fekete of Athens, Georgia writes: "I'm a junior in college, and I'm planning to go to cooking school after graduation. I've already had some experience decorating cakes and working for a caterer, but it was my mom who taught me how to cook. I've also learned a lot from reading magazines and cookbooks." Marinating the vegetables gives them a lively pickled flavor.

He may be executive chef at London's luxe Conservatory at The Lanesborough, but Paul Gayler knows a thing or two about American cuisine, too. In The Gourmet Burger, he rethinks the barbecue classic using premium and international ingredients. Here, he adds mildly spicy North African flavors.