Nut

This simple salad gets extra flavor from finely grated hazelnuts.

This chocolate cake has no outer frosting, but the filling is so rich you won't miss it. Chopping the pecans finely helps keep the layers even when frosted.

Adding salt to this classic sauce lets you taste the rich complexity of the caramel, not just the sweetness. To save time, feel free to replace the almonds and butter with 1/2 cup store-bought roasted almond butter (no added sugar). Just stir in the salt and almond extract and it's recipe-ready for the bread pudding.

Here, a coarse sea salt like fleur de sel or sel gris plays a few important roles: It tempers and cuts the richness of the nuts and butter, it adds a concentrated crunch—and it makes the brittle look divine. Break this vibrant green pistachio brittle on top of ice cream or crumble it over rice pudding. Or, do what we do, and eat it straight off the baking sheet.

Nutritionists love red quinoa for its low glycemic index; we love how this recipe reinforces the idea that healthy food should pack a lot of flavor. Fresh herbs, plus crunchy nuts, keeps things interesting.

Evan and Sarah Rich of San Francisco's Rich Table shock the carrots in ice water after shaving to give them a wavy shape and slightly soften their crunch.

...so you might not have an open fire, but that doesn't mean you can't have roasted chestnuts! Follow this recipe, and you won't go wrong.