Fig

These financiers are moist and nutty from the addition of brown butter and hazelnuts; in this recipe, resting the dough amplifies all of those flavors.

The best way to tackle this duck recipe is to braise the legs and make the relish in advance, then cook the breasts and crisp the legs on party night.

If using frozen cranberries, which are just as good for this recipe, don’t bother thawing them first.

This figs recipe is sweet, salty, sticky, and acidic—everything you want in a one-bite appetizer.

Whether you serve this warm-hug-in-a-casserole-dish for brunch or dessert, a pour of maple syrup and a dollop of fresh whipped cream would definitely be a welcome addition.

Served with spicy toasted walnuts and smothered in a sweet and silky sauce, this dish is sure to become a family favorite.

Almost any fresh fruit (pears, apples, berries) can replace the figs.

In 2006, I packed up my gear and traveled to the Mall of America for the Food Network Pizza Champions Challenge. Over the course of a very grueling day, we competed for three Guinness World Records in front of a big audience and a panel of famous judges. I won two of the world-record rounds: Biggest Pizza Continuously Spinning for Two Minutes, and Most Consecutive Rolls Across the Shoulders in 30 Seconds. By comparison, round three, the cooking challenge, felt as easy as pie. Four of us gathered at our stations to get our marching orders: create a gourmet pizza in ten minutes using none of the top ten toppings—no pepperoni, no sausage, you get the idea. So, my instinct was to combine two of my favorite pizza worlds, California and Italy. I grabbed five totally traditional Italian ingredients: prosciutto, fig jam, Gorgonzola, Asiago, and balsamic vinegar. They're classic, but the thing is, you'd never find them on a pizza in Italy, at least not all together. But to us "why not?" Californians, the combination makes perfect sense as a pizza topping, and it made sense to the judges, too.

Warm spices and sweet dried fruit are a perfect pair for rich turkey meat.

Some great things are made with day-old bread: French toast. Croutons. Breadcrumbs. Add the nutty and sugary French pastry bostock to the list.

Warming the honey with rose water infuses it with flavor.

Briefly baking the cornbread before adding the jam prevents the preserves from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

Cook the figs until just softened: Overcooking or intense boiling will render them tough instead of lush.