Blender

Yellow tomatoes bring a touch of sunshine to this delicious chilled soup, which can be made as spicy or as mellow as you like.

The keys to this fast, simple dish, which was inspired by a crab-stuffed tomato at Yves Camdeborde's Paris brasserie, Le Comptoir du Relais, are ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, and excellent crabmeat.

While eating at one of the coveted counter seats at Les Cocottes, Christian Constant's chic restaurant, food editor Paul Grimes was deeply inspired by the pumpkin soup, which surprised him with savory little chunks of foie gras waiting at the bottom of the bowl. Here, Grimes explores squash's more savory side by cooking it with a touch of tomato and providing that little bit of sweet surprise in the form of chopped chestnut. With just a dollop of whipped cream, it is rich only in looks and spirit—a spoonful will reveal how unbelievably light it is.

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.

Pumpkin seeds are available at many supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Latin markets. The pumpkin seed oil can be found at specialty foods stores and at surfasonline.com.

The traditional crostini topping is a soft pâté, but the wild mushrooms with truffle oil served by chef Julian Marucci at Baltimore's Cinghiale are just as indulgent.

A pickle-like blend of ingredients called balchao, is crucial to many of Portuguese Goa's meat dishes, and usually incorporates Goa's other passion, feni, a potent alcoholic brew made from either cashew nuts or palm fruit. Also omnipresent in Goan dishes is the highly acidic feni vinegar, which reduces the potency of dried red chiles—as does tart tamarind, another key element in this layered, complex, and fiery-hot paste that peppers its way into many of Goa's curries. Unfortunately, neither the alcohol nor the vinegar is available outside of India (maybe even outside of Goa), and so my offering is devoid of both. Nonetheless, it is very flavorful, with cider or malt vinegar standing in as a perfectly acceptable substitute.

Editor's note: This recipe is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Chris Miller, executive chef at Como Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri in Bali. This zesty dish proves that grilling isn't just for carnivores. Tempeh, a fermented soybean cake with a nutty flavor and firm, almost meatlike texture, can be found in many grocery stores, health food stores, and Asian markets. We like Lightlife brand. Note that orange oil can be quite strong, so be sure not to use more than the amount called for in the recipe.

The recipe and introductory text below are reprinted with permission from Gameday Gourmet by Pableaux Johnson. If you're looking for a near-instant potluck contribution, you just struck pay dirt. It would be tough to make this recipe any simpler—unless you left out the beans. A little chopping, some liquid measure, and a quick whirrrrrr of your trusty margarita-maker, and you've got a bowl of ready-to-serve puréed goodness.

Terry Conlan, of Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas, stuffs a salad between slices of bread.

North Carolina is famous for its shrimp, but no matter where you are, if you find local shrimp, treat them as a delicacy and cook them simply. Here, chef Andrea Reusing enhances their sweet brininess with nothing more than salt, black pepper, and a quick dip in very hot oil; crisp jalapeños and cilantro give them a little kick.

Think of this marvelous first course as a savory sundae, with a pretty salad of crunchy julienned vegetables topping the icy granita. Cream Sherry adds a sweet base note to the granita, while the sharpness of Sherry vinegar accentuates the tomatoes' acidity.

Rich skirt steak begs for an assertive, acidic accompaniment. The tomatillo twofer showcases the fruit’s different personalities: In the cooked salsa, its flavor is round and lemony; in the salad, fresh lime juice sharpens the tomatillos’ raw brightness.

We make this super-easy, super-tasty dish all year long. The bold combination of soy sauce, balsamic, and maple syrup works its magic on the meat quickly, so it only needs to marinate for as long as it takes to get your grill fired up. In the fall and winter, we pair this steak with maple-sweetened butternut squash. Come summer, it's a natural with a tomato salad and corn on the cob.

Crêpe Bundles with Caviar and Sour Cream Innovative and self-taught, Barry Wine redefined American haute cuisine at New York City's Quilted Giraffe in the 1980s. His iconic—and most copied—dish was the bite-size beggars’ purse, a chive-tied crêpe bundle filled with caviar and crème fraîche. We've turned it into a first course and added chives and brown butter to the crêpe batter.

An herb paste smeared onto these birds adds a concentrated taste of summer; this works nicely with the poussins, since they're small enough to cook through before the herbs can threaten to burn.

Gremolata is traditionally made with chopped garlic, parsley, and lemon peel; this one incorporates chopped hazelnuts and uses orange peel instead of lemon.

A cold-weather favorite, this all-beef, no-bean chili gets added appeal from a seasonal ingredient: butternut squash. For best results, make the chili at least one day ahead so that the flavors have time to meld.

The cheese filling is spooned over red grapes—not a crust— and the fruit becomes its crowning glory.