Dairy Free

Thyme syrup adds a savory note to this rum-cider punch that'd be great as a pre–holiday dinner drink.

Basil is wilted like a leafy green in this stir-fry, then added raw at the end for a double dose of its aromatic flavor.

The dressing should be emulsified when you add the butter. Keeping it warm will prevent it from separating, but if it does, add a couple drops of water and whisk again to bring it back together.

Our dry brine is like a concentrated rub; massage citrus zest and peppercorns onto the skin and let it cure for a few hours before the bird hits the oven.

Get your pan nice and hot. If you have a cast-iron skillet, now's the time to use it.

If you don't have a steamer basket, improvise: Place a ramekin in the bottom of the pot and prop a dinner plate on top so steam can circulate around it.

This side dish is equally good with steak, broiled fish, or seared lamb chops.

No patience for a traditional brine? The dry brine is applied directly to the turkey's skin for a few hours, delivering big flavor (thank the salt!) and less hassle.

Diminutive and sweet hakurei turnips are in season and perfect for this dish; find them at farmers' markets.

Vegan (when made with agave nectar or sugar) This trick will alter and augment your cooking: Pour boiling water over sliced or diced red onions, then transfer them to a solution of vinegar, sweetener, and salt. The onions will brighten into a gaudy shade of purplish-pink and will keep indefinitely, mysteriously retaining their bright color and crisp texture. rather than slice, the onions, if they are headed for one of the cold soups.) You can vary the cut of the onions—and also the amounts of sweet and salt. Use as a dramatically colorful and refreshing tiara atop dinner plates, open-faced sandwiches, salads, cheeses, grilled tofu, or fish—anything savory. I use these often as an ingredient in cold soups and saladitas. (Mince, rather than slice, the onions, if they are headed for one of the cold soups.) • Use a very sharp knife or a food processor with a thin slicing attachment to cut the onions most easily.

Cookbook author and culinary pro Molly Stevens created this recipe exclusively for Epicurious. A wet turkey can be slow to brown, so for the best results, remove the turkey from the brine 8 to 12 hours before you plan to roast, pat it dry, and let it sit in the refrigerator, uncovered to dry the surface. If you don't have time to let it air-dry, do your best to thoroughly dry the surface after brining. Rubbing the skin with butter or oil will also encourage browning. Keep in mind that it's best not to stuff a brined turkey, because the juices will concentrate in the cavity and overseason your stuffing. Instead, cook your stuffing in a baking dish alongside the turkey. See our Complete Guide to Brining for more on wet and dry brining.

Vegan When it comes to sweet potatoes, American cuisine needs some imagination, and these irresistible burgers are here to help. Just throw a cooked sweet potato into your trusty food processor, along with chickpeas, scallions, and spices, and buzz it into orange tastiness. Two complementary iterations of quinoa (whole cooked grains and flour) step in to balance the sweetness—and also to hold the burgers together—while upping the protein and calcium content. Green pea polka dots round it out in every way, making this taste and color fest even more fun and interesting. • Be sure to use the moist, orange variety of sweet potato (not the drier, starchier white type). • Regarding the quinoa flour: Don't panic. Just get out the inexpensive electric coffee grinder that you dedicated to spice grinding, wipe it out thoroughly, and add 6 tablespoons of whole quinoa. Buzz for less than 5 seconds, and you've got your ingredient—probably slightly more than the amount you'll need for the recipe. • If you're using fresh peas, they'll need to be steamed or blanched for about 5 minutes. Frozen ones require only to be defrosted in a strainer— a brief encounter with room-temperature tap water, then a shake to dry. Either of these steps can be done ahead. • Begin cooking the sweet potato well ahead of time, so it can cool before you assemble the batter. This is also a good use for leftover plain mashed sweet potatoes. You'll need 2 cups. • Toasting cumin seeds is most easily done in a small, dry skillet over low heat. Shake the pan as you go and pay careful attention. It takes only a few minutes to toast them—and a blink of an eye beyond that to irreparably burn them. You can use the same pan (and same method) to toast the peanuts, if you wish. • If you're cooking the burgers in batches, keep the finished ones warm on a baking sheet or an ovenproof plate in a 250°F oven while you make the rest. • These freeze and reheat beautifully after they've been cooked.

Vegan Green beans, cashews, mint, carrot, cucumber, and lime shine through the pearly noodles in this pretty, uplifting dish. The noodles will seem undercooked at first, but they will soften as they absorb the marinade and the moisture from the other ingredients. If you cook them all the way, the finished dish will be mushy. • Rice noodles of various thickness can be purchased inexpensively in most Asian-themed grocery stores, some supermarkets, and online. Use medium-thin ones for this recipe. • You can freeze the unused coconut milk in an ice cube tray, then transfer the cubes to a heavy plastic zip-style bag for making this (or something else) in the future. Don't forget to label the bag. • This tastes best within a few hours of being assembled, so plan accordingly. • Make sure the cucumber is sweet.

Vegan The simplest saladitas in my repertoire are the ones that pair a single fruit with just one fresh herb. These are as flexible as they are easy. Extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon or lime juice, and salt and pepper are all optional. A small pile of Pickled Red Onions is always welcome on top. Make these shortly before serving.

This request and recipe originally appeared in the "You Asked for It" section of the February 1961 issue of Gourmet magazine. It was reprised later in the online series "The Way We Cooked: Vintage Gourmet." Q. I could not locate any recipes for whale steak in your cookbooks. Miss Armida Formichelli
Arlington, Massachusetts A. Mostly because we couldn't locate a whale—and still haven't. But if you find one, we have a recipe.

Cookbook author and culinary pro Molly Stevens created this recipe exclusively for Epicurious. Dry brining involves sprinkling salt over the entire surface of a turkey and letting it sit for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days. It may look like a lot of salt, but keep in mind that the salt won't remain on the outside of the turkey and there needs to be enough salt to penetrate the entire thickness of the bird. Keep in mind that it's best not to stuff a brined turkey, because the juices will concentrate in the cavity and overseason your stuffing. Instead, cook your stuffing in a baking dish alongside the turkey. See our Complete Guide to Brining for more on wet and dry brining.