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The lime juice and oil will keep the avocado from turning brown, but it’s a good idea to make this pico de gallo recipe right before you serve it.

Sadly, you’re not going to be able to waltz down to the corner store and pick up escargots and shells. But this recipe is still worth the effort.

Golden raisins would also work nicely in this yogurt dip recipe instead of the dried apricots. You want a little sweet to play against the bite of the garlic and the brightness of the herbs.

Make this recipe your thing. Serve this vibrantly hued cured salmon with an assortment of easily assembled herbs, pickles, seedy breads, and schmears.

When great dips get together, it’s magic. This recipe boasts all the beauty of a creamy onion dip with the irresistible appeal of queso.

These potato blinis are inspired by a Thomas Keller recipe. They're the ideal base for caviar.

Ah, Babybel cheese, the fancy French chef’s secret weapon for fondue—it keeps the molten mixture from separating, and its unassuming flavor lets the Gruyère shine.

Cacio e pepe works on so many things, this chips recipe is just our latest obsession with using the whole flavor combination.

This recipe for raw vegetables is the only conscionable thing you can serve right before sitting down to a heavier meal.

Smoked almonds and black olives are our suggestions for this appetizer, but use any nut or olive that you like.

This recipe is a showstopping and grown-up version of everyone’s favorite party snack—the 7-layer dip.

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

Brushing the underside of the dough with egg wash for this pot pie recipe creates an airtight seal so that steam will push the pastry lids into a dramatic dome during baking.

For this nontraditional okonomiyaki recipe, you need to julienne the potato. Use a mandoline with the shredder attachment, or slice it very thinly into planks and then crosswise into very thin strips. Makes a terrific appetizer!

Traditional Greek skordalia is mostly garlic and olive oil with some potato or nuts added to thicken it. We flipped the ratio in this recipe: more potato, less garlic. Serve as a dip, or thin out with lemon juice and olive oil and use as a sauce for fish.

Cooking the livers to medium/medium-rare in this recipe is key to a moist and rich tasting spread. Overcooking them will make the finished dish dry and crumbly.

Apple and cheddar met on a cheese board, realized they both dreamed of someday turning into a deep-fried doughnut, and ran off to do just that.

Tarator is usually made with tahini, but the base for this recipe is almonds. It serves as both a binder for the rice cakes and as a sauce.

We’ll be spreading membrillo (quince paste) inside bread for grilled cheese from now on. This recipe is from Morcilla, one of the Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

The aromatic sweetness of the vanilla complements the sharp blue cheese and smoky-spicy sausage, and, since we doubt you’re curing your own chorizo, it’s the single handmade element on this tapas plate. This recipe is from Morcilla, one of the Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

Topping this modern tartare with groats adds an earthy note, but they’re mostly there for texture. A coarse toasted breadcrumb can be subbed. This recipe is from Wildair, one of the Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

Granted, this is a bit of work for a salad, but that’s how to transform vegetables into brag-worthy ingredients. To simplify, you could char the beets and greens in a dry cast-iron skillet. This recipe is from Oberlin, one of the Hot 10, America's Best New Restaurants 2016.

Frying ukoy the Bad Saint way is a very active process­—the fritter will blow apart in the oil before you tease it back together. Use a tall pot with plenty of extra room since the oil will bubble vigorously when the mix hits it.

Even so-so tomatoes will become sweet and deliciously concentrated after this treatment.