Broil

Turnips stand in for the usual potatoes, giving this gratin a rich, hearty taste.

The halibut is delicious with sautéed green beans and steamed new potatoes. End with espresso granita or ice cream with grappa.

A cored pineapple is used to serve this dessert, so be sure to select one with bright leaves.

[This salsa is a primary ingredient in the recipe for Red Chile Rice with Shrimp and Bacon.]

Charring the tomatillos, chiles, and garlic under the broiler before puréeing them concentrates their flavor and sweetness and gives the finished salsa a smoky essence.

This can be completely assembled up to eight hours ahead, and then it requires only a short time in the oven.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

Here's a rich, creamy classic with a tropical twist. Begin preparing it a day ahead.

A true demi-glace — the luscious sauce made by reducing homemade stock and red wine to a rich concentration — needs to simmer for several hours, making it the perfect activity for a lazy winter Sunday.

Flounder is a lean, thin fish that cooks very quickly. So be sure to cook it 4 to 5 inches from the heat source — and watch it carefully! Clover sprouts are available in the produce department of better supermarkets.

Serve these spicy grilled shrimp with bread for sopping up all the sauce.

Salsa de Tomatillos y Lima This tart, mildly spicy, and bright green salsa is so delicious that you might want to double the recipe to have extra on hand. It's great mixed into guacamole or veggie sautés (for a little tangy kick). Or try it as a topping for anything from nachos to scrambled eggs to baked potatoes. This recipe is an accompaniment for Oval Masa Cakes with Goat Cheese Filling .

This recipe is an accompaniment for <epi:recipelink id="108054">Chicken, Potato, and Carrot Enchiladas</epi:recipelink>.

The aged goat cheese called for in this recipe is firmer than fresh and has a dry rind. Two kinds work best in this dish, Bucheron and Pouligny-St.-Pierre, both of which have just the right amount of tang — but ask at the cheese counter for comparable substitutes if you have trouble finding them. Cafe Pasqual's, in Santa Fe, serves its version of this dish — "pigs 'n' figs" — with blue cheese. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

This light and spicy sauce is especially good on chicken. For convenience, you can mix the spices ahead, then add the vinegar just before using.

This Vietnamese classic is usually made with top or bottom round beef, which is sliced and then marinated and grilled. We've adapted the recipe to use skirt or flank steak and made it easier by grilling the meat before slicing it.

Sprinkling this creamy custard with powdered sugar and then placing the dessert under the broiler gives it a delicate crust. Serve with crisp gingersnap cookies.