Ian Knauer

We love the games this soup plays with our senses: First, its fiery color tricks your brain into thinking it is hot, but when you take a sip, your tongue realizes the soup is cold. Then the spice of the habaneros sweeps in and deliciously complicates matters. Don't be alarmed by the number of chiles called for—habaneros' heat is complex and floral and partners perfectly with the sweetness of the red bell peppers.

Even when you're eating alone, succulent, sliced Americana can be yours any night of the week—enhanced by a flavorful blue-cheese riff on creamed spinach.

The verdict in the test kitchen was unanimous: When we order crab cakes in restaurants, these meaty beauties are what we want—not the bready hockey pucks that dot many menus around the country. Pair them with a simple salad or some fries for a Chesapeake-inspired two-person dinner done right.

With its plump shrimp, crisp bean sprouts, and subtle Asian nuances, this fresh dish will easily make you forget about the mushy, over-gravied versions of your youth.

Our take on this dish, famously named for the fact that Italy's "ladies of the evening" quickly made it between clients, is just as fast and easy as the original and requires nothing more than some everyday items you probably have in your pantry already.

The tropical relish that tops these chops is a nod to the Caribbean climes and palm-tree breezes that are the stuff Jimmy Buffett songs are practically made of—a veritable paradise in this dish for two.

Though you may not be familiar with the name, chilaquiles are the forebears of modern nachos. But the abundance of fresh, flavorful toppings—cool cilantro, salty queso fresco, crisp red onion—makes even the most fluorescent "nacho cheese" seem colorless.

A shot of red-wine vinegar is all it takes to enliven this simple, earthy side dish.

While the Buffalo salmon<\a> is busy hogging all the sauce, what's the chicken left to do all by its lonesome self? Here, it cozies up with ever-so-sweet scallions for some much-needed TLC that manages to be both new and familiar.

Here, quickly sautéed greens get some spice and a kick of heat (thanks to red-pepper flakes)—and they become an ideal partner for the Buffalo salmon<\a>.

We know these monster biscuits look like gougères on steroids, but we promise there are no illicit performance-enhancing ingredients at work here: just an egg-rich batter that (naturally) bakes up big.

Fiery Buffalo sauce gives buttery salmon tanginess and heat, while a sprinkling of breadcrumbs lends a satisfying crunch.

The glaze, which goes on the asparagus as well as the steak, has a rich sweetness that is transformed into something wonderfully complex once it hits the heat of the grill.

For this pasta dough, we used a mixture of cake and all-purpose flours. It's too delicate when you're making noodles, but it's great for filled, double-edged pastas like ravioli.

The trick of leaving the base attached to the quartered escarole is one we learned from Lidia Bastianich, and it makes the whole process far less fussy. Studded with plump raisins and crunchy pine nuts, the rice makes for a flavorful filling—perfect for the slightly bitter edge of the greens.

This cake was inspired by Devil Dogs, the bone-shaped chocolate cakes with irresistible white goo sandwiched between their layers. You'll want to dive headfirst into this version, a tall layer of moist, dark devil's food with fluffy marshmallow frosting.