Winter

This is a winning-contestant recipe from Season Four of Fox's MasterChef.

Typically steamed or sautéed, fresh mustard greens are also great raw and simply dressed. "I like the strength they give to salads," says de Pue.

For Halloween, we attempted to break the record for the world's loudest scream—the acknowledged "Scream of Ice Cream." To coincide with the attempt we created the world's first "ice cream soup," a bowl of steaming hot 
pumpkin soup with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream dropped in the middle. I loved it, but it left everyone else in meltdown. In the end we ran out of time to stage the world-record 
attempt, and killed off ice cream soup, but we kept spiced pumpkin ice cream alive.

This hearty winter salad balances earthy greens with seasonal fruit and crunchy nuts. Though quite simple, it is far from ordinary.

Why do I love roast winter vegetables? For starters, because they are fresh, local, and seasonal. Unlike summer produce, they keep for a long time without losing most of their flavor. They feel like winter food: hearty, substantial, rib-sticking. Francis Mallmann quick-roasts them at very high heat in a wood oven until they almost burn. A home oven doesn't put out that kind of thousand-degree heat, but when something as simple as slices of Delicata squash are coated with a little bit of olive oil, sprinkled with kosher or coarse sea salt, and then roasted, they come out of the oven chewy, nutty, sweet, and savory. Part caramelization, part umami, and part Maillard. This dish is a slight adaptation of a recipe in Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty, which I came across when I was asked to be a judge in Food52.com's "Tournament of Cookbooks." In case you don't know Yotam Ottolenghi's work—you'd never forget such a fun name—he is a London-based Israeli chef who writes a vegetarian column for the Guardian. He is not a vegetarian himself, which makes me trust his recipes even more. In other words, he is neither ideological nor moralistic about it: his only aim is food that tastes great. Caramelized and well-seasoned winter vegetables are fine by themselves, but the maple-mustard vinaigrette lifts the flavors enormously. We made this recipe for a New Year's Eve dinner, and afterward I received ooh-and-aah e-mails from people about "the best vegetables ever!" For sure, the company, the wine, and the other food had something to do with the reviews. But, taking all that into consideration, tell me, honestly, how often are people moved to praise a parsnip? A few years ago I would have said you need your own roast tomatoes for this recipe, but now I find that Desert Glory or similar deeply flavored cherry tomatoes, though they don't hold a candle to real summer tomatoes, are fine when caramelized.

Chili is the perfect party food. Just keep a pot of it warm on the stove, put out the fixings, and let everyone help themselves.

This rich, subtly tangy cream spiked with almond essence gives ripe, sliced pears just the embellishment they need to go from fruit to fabulous.

Thai red curry paste typically has more than eight different ingredients, including hot red pepper and lemongrass, so buying it ready- made is certainly easier than making your own. Look for it in the ethnic foods section of your supermarket or at Asian grocers. You can add 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, to the curry during the last few minutes of cooking, if you wish.

This whole roasted cauliflower has become a signature of Domenica chef Alon Shaya. Precooking the cauliflower in seasoned liquid infuses it with flavor.

Meat Todd: I took the traditional Jewish braised brisket (see The Jewish Brisket, Modernized) and added techniques from my French arsenal to come up with a modern, elegant version of this beloved meat dish. It must be made a day before you wish to serve it, but there's an extra plus with that—it lets all the flavors fully develop and frees you for other things.

Sweet and citrusy with a touch of heat, this side dish would also be a great match for roast chicken or pork.

We're seeing gigante beans everywhere. They're creamy and buttery, and their size adds a dramatic look.

This zesty mayo dip would also go well with sliced red bell peppers and celery sticks before dinner; it's amazing how many vegetables kids will eat when they're actually hungry.

November weeknights are for simple pan-seared pork chops and roasted squash.

Because their delicious apple filling is all sealed up—wrapped in dough like hand pies or campfire pies, but bite-size—these sweet little pies are perfect finger food. They transport easily, so you can take them to parties or potlucks. Or pack a few into your lunch for a sweet snack.

These mini-taters keep portion size in check, so you can enjoy cheesy, bacony goodness without thinking twice.

Quickly cooking shredded butternut squash with butter and sage turns it into an almost-instant sauce for a very autumnal pasta dinner.