Ian Knauer

A vinaigrette that’s pleasingly sharp thanks to apple cider vinegar and grainy mustard tempers the lushness of the onion pie . Dress the greens just before serving.

A roast turkey glazed with a buttery cider syrup is burnished outside and juicy within. You'll have more than enough gravy to ladle over the stuffing, the smashed potatoes, and tomorrow's leftovers.

In this golden casserole (which you'll find on many Pennsylvania Dutch tables), a buttermilk custard rises to the top while the chewy, toasty corn sinks to the bottom, resulting in a two-layered pudding. The packaged sweet corn—frequently called by its most common brand name, Cope's corn—is slowly dried so that its natural sugars caramelize, a centuries-old Native American preservation method. Recipes usually call for grinding the corn, but the whole kernels impart a coarser texture that we love.

A thin layer of deep-flavored molasses filling gives way to a tangy buttermilk custard.

When earthy greens are tossed with a walnut- and garlic-scented oil and lots of crunchy nuts, they taste delightfully new.

Store-bought sauerkraut undergoes an amazing transformation when gently simmered with apples and white wine. The cabbage's crispness gives way to a seductive silkiness, while the fruit and a spoonful or two of brown sugar offset its acidity.

Taking a cue from German potato salad, these Yukon Golds are smashed with a hot bacon dressing and then tossed with fresh dill. Steaming rather than boiling the potatoes keeps them fluffy.

A towering dessert on the holiday sideboard always gets attention. And the oohs and aahs will only get louder when you cut in to reveal its moist crumb dotted with ruby-red cranberries and topaz-colored pear. Its scent of vanilla and spices is very inviting, while the brown sugar and cinnamon glaze is, of course, the icing on the cake.

Carrots, braised in chicken broth and combined with shallots and fresh herbs, make a beautiful addition to the table, especially when you take advantage of the different-colored varieties found at farmers markets. You will also appreciate how small amounts of seasonings turn a taken-for-granted vegetable into something splendid. Don't reserve the recipe just for Thanksgiving; it would also be delicious with pork chops or a roast chicken.

A big jar of beet-pickled hard-boiled eggs anchors many a neighborhood bar in Pennsylvania, but you can take the idea a step further, melding a colorful finger food with another classic snack. Caraway seeds add an aromatic note to the eggs’ deviled filling.

The inspiration here is the fantastically rich dish called Zwiebelkuchen (onion cake), a southern German specialty that arrived in America with European settlers and quickly became a staple in Pennsylvania Dutch homes, where it is known as Zwiwwelkuche. Slow-cooked onions are combined with eggs and sour cream and spooned into a yeasted dough. The pastry is then partially folded over the filling.

Swapping rye for the usual white bread adds something intriguing to stuffing. There's still that wonderful contrast between the crisp, browned bread on the top and the soft pieces moistened with stock or broth below, but there is an undercurrent of warm, almost spicy sweetness. As with all stuffings, the better the bread you use, the better the final dish will be, so buy a good bakery loaf.

Figs combine beautifully with all sorts of salty flavors—prosciutto, for instance, or Gorgonzola, or, of course, bacon. They also add succulent, sumptuous texture.

Chicken breasts are a terrific foundation for an easy-to-make dish that's sweet, salty, dilly, and—is this even a word?—grilly.

It's amazing how a splash of citrus and a handful of pistachios can transform a pair of humble brassicas—kale and kohlrabi both belong to that genus—into a bright, fresh, and lively dish. Although this recipe represents the letter k, it could just as easily have been g, for green. Or great.

This bravura sandwich stimulates all the senses. Grilling eggplant instead of frying it adds lightness and smoky complexity.

The success of these ribs lies in a straightforward three-part process. Long marinating in a sweet, garlicky rub ensures the ribs soak up loads of flavor. Next, a leisurely roast in the oven makes them tender. Finally, a mop of balsamic-brown-sugar glaze and a few minutes on the grill gives the ribs a whiff of smokiness and caramelizes their edges.

Any kind of mild honey will work beautifully here. It will cook into a rich caramel, which coats the peaches and deepens their sweetness.

You'll want generous scoops of tangy richness with both the honey caramel peach pie and the plum-blackberry streusel pie , or all by itself. The ice cream is as blissful to prepare as it is to eat: Just purée everything in a blender, then freeze in an ice cream maker.

In another case of less is more, at-their-peak green beans—an old favorite—are paired with a quick vinaigrette that sparkles with a generous amount of minced sweet onion.