Roast

These tomatoes hold up well for up to 2 days when stored in the refrigerator; serve as a sandwich filling or pasta topping.

You will need sweet, fully ripened plantains (plátanos maduros, in Spanish) for this Cuban-inspired side dish. They are soft, with peels that are mostly brown or black, and are available in Latin-American markets and many grocery stores.

For more-generous portions, cook one hen per person. If you do, use two roasting pans, and double the other ingredients.

Pomegranate molasses is sold in many ethnic markets and health-food stores.

The USDA recommends cooking duck breasts until they register 170°F. For a moister breast, we cooked ours to 125°F; after it rests, the duck will be cooked to medium-rare. Chicken is also delicious in this recipe: Substitute four 12-ounce boneless skin-on chicken breast halves for the duck. In step 3, don’t score the breasts. To cook, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken, and transfer to the oven. Cook until the chicken reaches 175°F, about 25 minutes. For the sauce, substitute dry white wine for the red wine.

It may seem like a bit of trouble to brine the turkey, but it is well worth it: This is the best turkey we’ve ever tasted. If you don’t have a stockpot large enough to hold the turkey, you can use a new plastic tub instead. It is helpful to have an extra refrigerator to brine the turkey, as it takes up a lot of space.

If you can’t find precut chicken quarters, ask your butcher to quarter a 5-pound chicken and remove the backbone.

We brined our turkey for 24 hours, so leave plenty of time for this recipe. If you don’t brine yours, skip steps 1 and 2. The USDA recommends cooking the turkey until the thickest part of the thigh registers 180°F. For a moister bird, we cooked ours to 165°F; it continues to cook outside the oven as it rests.

Roasting the garlic in its skin mellows and sweetens its flavor; to remove the cloves, squeeze them with your fingers or press on the cloves with a butter knife.

Red onions, cut at an angle, form a V-shaped roasting rack for the chicken.

Make the chile-lime marinade the day before, and let the pork marinate overnight before cooking.