These fruit-forward layers take your classic bars to a whole new level.

Sinking my teeth into one of these bars was an immediate reminder of the perks of the job. They bring all of the delight of a classic jam-filled, crumble-topped fruit bar, but in a more gently sweet way, with a nutty granola bar vibe. This kind of bar typically has a shortbread-like base slathered with sugary jam, but these boast more fruit-forward layers, which allow the natural sweetness of whole fruit to take the lead, heightened with a small amount of maple syrup.

The jam layer is made up simply of blueberries simmered with a touch of maple syrup, and some orange zest and juice, until the berries have broken down and thickened to a spreadable texture.

The base and topping layers both start with finely ground walnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds, which are mixed with rolled oats, whole-wheat flour and cinnamon. Most of that nut-oat mixture is stirred with a puree of prunes, oil, egg and vanilla to form the crust.

The prunes bring the majority of the sweetness — not to mention fiber and antioxidants — just a touch of maple syrup is added to level it up a bit. (You could substitute dried dates for the prunes, or use a combination of the two if you’d like.)

The base mixture is then pressed into a baking dish, smeared with the cooked blueberries, then topped with the remaining nut-oat mixture, which has been tossed into a crumble with more maple syrup and some oil.

Once baked and cooled, the bars come out alluringly layered, with a nutty bottom that has a lovely chew from the dried fruit, a jammy center, which brims with true blueberry flavor, and a crunchy, maple-spiked crumble topping.

Eddie Hernandez

The tomato- and tomatillo-based salsas served with chips at Taqueria del Sol taste almost identical to the ones Eddie Hernandez grew up eating in Monterrey, Mexico. On frequent trips to visit loved ones in Medellin, Colombia, he’s become well acquainted with a dramatically different style of salsa.

Colombian-style salsa criolla, he said, is a rich and vibrant sauce made of tomatoes, onions and spices that’s simmered and served hot or at room temperature. It’s not spicy-hot, but mildly seasoned with cumin and achiote or other golden-tinged spice primarily added for color.

“In Colombia, it is the only sauce. They put it on everything!” he said. “They use it with beef tongue and chicken and fried fish and pork. It’s very versatile. You can make it brothy, you can make it chunky, depending on how long you cook it and how much water or broth you add. I’ve made it with pig’s feet and pork belly and served it over fish fillets.”

Although it’s not on the menu yet, Hernandez said a version for the restaurant is in the works. His recipe hews close to the traditional one, but he can’t resist kicking the spice level up a notch by tossing in a jalapeno or a chile de arbol. Keep the chile seeds for more heat, or remove them for less impact.