Bacon

The Cuban classic gets a delicious boost from the addition of flavorful Spanish smoked paprika. Spanish paprika (Pimentón de la Vera) is everywhere for a good reason: its magically smoky flavor. Look for it at specialty foods stores or order it from latienda.com.

It's difficult to improve on the rich, smoky flavor of bacon, but we've done it: As this bacon sizzles in the oven, the brown sugar and hint of cayenne create an addictive sweet-hot glaze.

Tender lima beans and fresh corn kernels straight off the cob team up to create a beautiful—and delicious—side dish that's perfect with almost any meal.

The richness of pork is lightened with tangy cabbage for a hearty German-style meal that seems made for autumn.

The ingredients are simple, but they add up to a main course that's incredibly hearty and satisfying. Cute little lady apples, cooked until soft and almost bursting, bring a luscious sweetness to the chicken and bacon.

Boeuf Vigneronne The definition of rustic, this seductive dish of tender meat, sweet onions, and reduced wine was made for the vintners of Burgundy. Red wine adds a dark, lusty color to draw you into the meaty flavor, which, like a good bottle of wine, only gets better as it ages.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Stonewall Kitchen Favorites. To read more about the book, click here. When people travel to Maine they want to eat lobster, and this sandwich — created by chef Cheryl Lewis — has become the number-one-selling dish at the Stonewall Kitchen Café. You can prepare the basil aïoli, the lobster salad, and the bacon up to 8 hours ahead of time and assemble the sandwiches at the very last minute. On a hot summer day or night, this sandwich makes an elegant and easy main course, accompanied by tangy coleslaw or potato salad. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd. This recipe makes two very generous sandwiches; you will easily have enough for three to four more modest sandwiches.

Terrine de Campagne The straightforward character of this terrine reminds us of the words of Richard Olney, an influential American cookbook writer and editor who rusticated in the French countryside for almost 50 years. "A simple terrine," he wrote in his Simple French Food, "is never so good as when prepared in the easiest possible way, all of the ingredients of the composition mixed, pell-mell but intimately, together."

With ingredients like bacon, garlic, and butter, how could this hearty casserole be anything but wonderful? You'll definitely wish you'd made more.

Start this recipe one day ahead.

This salad is no bland picnic side dish: Slices of deli ham and bits of salty bacon give it hearty main-course appeal.

This light chowder with a subtle note of smokiness really lets the scallops shine.

Gael Greene shared these recipes with Epicurious from her new book, Insatiable. On a writing retreat at the cabin of screenwriter Vicki Polon, we put together this fragrant soup.