Melissa Roberts

Stirring homemade chutney (left over from Country Pâté with Pineapple Chutney) into softened cream cheese makes an easy and irresistibly bright spread. A topping of crunchy curried walnuts gilds the lily and also plays up the chutney's cheery color.

One advantage to being married to a Lebanese man is that the food of his people is fantastic. I've never been able to perfectly replicate a single dish my mother–in–law makes until now: mahshi batinjaan, which my husband despises due to a lifelong aversion to eggplant. But ask yourself: How could he possibly resist this dish's charm? Once you slice through the silky flesh to reveal a fragrantly seasoned lamb and rice stuffing, this deceptively simple one–dish dinner is absolutely luscious and satisfying. (Editors' note: This recipe is solely the creation of Melissa Roberts and has not been formally tested by the test kitchen.)

Phyllis Roberts, the mother of food editor Melissa Roberts, was a working mom who cooked dinner every night, including salad and dessert. One of Melissa's favorite treats was chocolate cream pie, made with MyTFine boxed pudding. In honor of her mother, Melissa has updated this dessert with a flaky piecrust and a filling of rich, homemade chocolate pudding (which is as easy to make as, well, pie). Finally, she crowns it all with drifts of whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Leftover quatre épices from our Confit Duck Legs adds mellow depth to this smooth, velvety pâté spiked with Cognac. The classic flavors of this tried–and–true starter served with baguette toasts are sure to brighten any cocktail party.

Hungry guests still rubbing the sleep from their eyes will be delighted to encounter this satisfying spin on that old diner favorite, the Western omelet. But it's just as nice for dinner, served with some roasted potatoes and a salad. This frittata is a great one to have in your recipe arsenal when you're faced with some leftover breakfast sausage (from our Sausage-Stuffed Potatoes with Green Salad, for example).

Some of us remember clamoring for a fudge pop as soon as we heard the jingle of the ice cream truck. Others reminisce about walking down to the corner store on a sultry August afternoon, reaching into the frosty ice chest for one of these frozen treats, and then peeling back the thin paper wrapper for that first cool bite. These homemade fudge pops, which call for just five ingredients you may already have on hand, will bring your memories to life: They taste smooth, deeply chocolaty, just right.

Shot through with tarragon, parsley, and scallions, this tangy sauce pairs beautifully with richsouthern-fried sweetbreads. If you have any left over, use it as a salad dressing or as a dip for crudités.

Though slightly unconventional, white wine works incredibly well with steak.

Cooking by color might not be the surest way to devise holiday-appropriate recipes, but who can resist the lure of black linguine on Halloween? Tossing it with pumpkin-hued vegetables lusty with garlic and hot pepper might seem like hobgoblin overkill, except that the flavors work well together. Really well. So much so that you'll be making this pasta combination again and again, long after the jack-o-lanterns have disappeared.

What could be more American than candy corn? Try maple pecan popcorn treats, for starters. They're made with three ingredients—maple syrup, pecans, and popcorn—that originated in the New World.

Rava dosas—savory, crisp-edged crêpes popular in South India—are typically made from semolina and rice flours. Stuff them with hearty vegetables cooked in a blend of spices, chile, garlic, and ginger.

Yes, the paper-thin disks of raw beet will spill their pink color across the escarole and frisée dressed with a lusty vinaigrette, but don't fret—those splashes are part of this simple salad's charm.

Green beans and Brussels sprouts might seem like the Abbott and Costello of the vegetable world—lanky and straight versus roly-poly—but like so many odd couples, they go together beautifully. The key is to sautéthe vegetables so that they still have a little bite.

A jumble of fruit and nuts cascading over tender frangipane creates quite a picture, and there is flavor to match. Although frangipane sounds fancy, it's a breeze to whiz up in a food processor—simply grind the almonds and sugar, then add the flour, butter, and eggs. The oven's heat concentrates the grapes' sweetness and perfume, and dusting the hot tart with confectioners sugar bestows a subtle shine.

Look no further for a go-to recipe when making vegetarian stews and gravies. The stock here gets its deep flavor and color from roasting the vegetables and then deglazing the pan with red wine.

An irresistible vegetarian main course can take a little extra love and time, but food editor Melissa Roberts would be the first person to tell you it's worth it. Fortunately, all the components of this shepherd's pie—from the heady vegetable stew with its red wine gravy to the crown of fluffy mashed potatoes and celery root—can be made ahead. Protein-rich seitan (pronounced "SAY-tan," it's sometimes labeled "wheat gluten") has long been used as a meat substitute by Asian cooks, who know how to coax the most out of its satisfyingly chewy texture. Seitan doesn't have a strong taste of its own, but it soaks up the flavors of whatever it's cooked with.

Frying sage leaves is easy and provides a real wow factor. The sage and chestnuts make an ideal foil for these pillowy gnocchi.

Summer's bounty gets even better when it's combined in a fresh-tasting pasta.

An all-butter pastry dough is easy to handle. It's a little less flaky than a dough made with a blend of butter and shortening, but you'll love the end result—it tastes marvelous.

Cutting cauliflower into thick, meaty slices, core and all, is a neat trick. So is roasting it, which brings out the best in this vegetable, caramelizing its edges and playing up its nuttiness. A briny olive vinaigrette adds just the right sharp-savory note.