Unexpected Ingredients

Le Bernardin chef Eric Ripert is a master at weaving together unexpected ingredients, like this tender charred octopus with a sauce of salty fermented black beans and sweet pear.

Unusual fruit and herb combinations distinguish the drinks at Chicago's De Cero, an upscale taqueria whose name loosely translates as "from scratch."

This exceptionally creamy ice cream relies on two unexpected ingredients: corn starch (to help thicken it) and cream cheese (to make it scoopable).

The crunchy mix of ingredients in this salad is unexpected and fun. And the dressing is equally unusual: It's made with chopped candied lemon as well as soy sauce, toasted-sesame oil and Sriracha, so it's both sweet and spicy.

Marcia Kiesel's modern version of this Chinese-American dish includes stir-fried egg noodles with chicken sausage, chiles, basil and an unexpected ingredient—orange juice.

"I've served this dish since day one at Straits," says Chris Yeo. For his exquisite version of fried rice, known in Southeast Asia as nasi goreng, he adds two surprise ingredients: quick-pickled onions and nutty shredded coconut.