Fruit

In French bistros, confit duck legs are traditionally served with a very simple, sharply dressed frisée salad. This version of the light meal gilds the lily by switching out frisée for peppery watercress and adding juicy navel oranges and nuggets of toasted walnuts.

This fresh chutney combines pineapple with a recent Parisian obsession—mangoes—for a vibrant counterpoint to rich pâté.

After a rich main course, you'll love the clean flavors of this minimally dressed salad. Watercress and fris´e are tamed by slivers of celery root and green apple, which also makes for a seamless segue into the next course—Camembert with apple butter from a local market.

Though poaching pears in wine often results in a subtle, sophisticated dessert, it rarely looks as lovely as it tastes. Here, Grimes took inspiration from the saturated-red glassware that's ubiquitous in Parisian flea markets and from a dessert at Le Chateaubriand, which uses beet to give the pears a lush garnet hue. As far as its flavor goes, the beet doesn't lend anything more than a nice balance to the overall dish, but you'll probably want to poach pears this way from now on.

At Café Panique, in the 10th arrondissement, Chef Guyader uses smoked haddock, but we've substituted richer smoked sable, which is more readily available in the United States. As simple as classic melon and prosciutto, this sweet and salty combo is made even more magical by a harmonizing ginger emulsion.

Bright apple flavor, plus a surprising tanginess. This sweet puree is a nice change of pace from the usual mashed potatoes.

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

A refreshingly tart version of classic cranberry sauce. If you want it sweeter, just add more sugar.

Quickly candied grapefruit peel adds a fresh zing.

These cookies should set for a while before serving. The fillings help soften the meringue—and your patience will be rewarded with a wonderfully chewy texture.

Carena brings an almost Moroccan sensibility to this delicious play of sweet and savory, from the crisp-tender fennel to the orange essences and underlying traces of saffron and raisins.

All-butter puff pastry is available at some specialty foods stores.

This recipe has subtle Asian flavors that delicately perfume the turkey in a way that’s beautifully compatible with the rest of the Thanksgiving meal.

This pressed sandwich creates an appetizing balance between sweet and savory with the addition of prosciutto and dried figs.

This dessert is a pecan pie-apple pie hybrid.

Bartender Naren Young developed these cocktails at Bobo Restaurant in New York to showcase the flavors of cachaca, a Brazilian spirit made from distilled sugarcane juice.

Bartender Naren Young developed these cocktails at Bobo Restaurant in New York to showcase the flavors of cachaca, a Brazilian spirit made from distilled sugarcane juice.