In Season: Pomegranates begin to ripen in September and are available through January.

What to Look For: Choose deeply colored purplish-red pomegranates that feel heavy for their size. Avoid any fruit that is cracked or has soft spots.

How to Store: When kept in an airtight bag in the refrigerator, whole pomegranates will keep for a month or more. Pomegranate seeds should be refrigerated and used within a few days.

Golden beets, carrots, celery root, and fennel are shaved into thin slices and tossed with a simple olive oil and lemon dressing. A sprinkling of ruby-red pomegranate seeds adds color and a punch of flavor.

Pomegranate seeds add bursts of tannic sweetness to this basmati rice pilaf. Red onion, dried apricots, and pistachios make this dish especially delicious with lamb.

Often called arancini, these crumb-coated risotto balls are a popular Italian appetizer. Here, juicy little pomegranate seeds offset the richness of the risotto's Parmesan and fontina cheeses.

Cauliflower, Romanesca, sweet potatoes, and brussels sprouts are roasted until sweet and tender. Just before serving, the vegetables are drizzled with a sweet vinaigrette of pomegranate juice and olive oil and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

A bold sauce of walnuts, allspice, cinnamon, pomegranate seeds, and tangy pomegranate molasses makes a memorable accompaniment to seared duck breasts. You can also serve this sauce with other rich red meats such as prime rib.

Pomegranate seeds dress up a simple green salad. A lightly tart, fruity vinaigrette of orange juice and zest, pomegranate molasses, rice-wine vinegar, and olive oil makes this salad truly mouthwatering.

This salad showcases some of our favorite cool-weather produce, including avocado, ruby grapefruit, radicchio, endive, and pomegranate seeds. With such flavorful ingredients, the salad only needs a simple vinaigrette of grapefruit juice, olive oil, and a dollop of Dijon mustard.

Three big flavors play nicely together in this simple-but-sophisticated salad of endive, blue cheese, and pomegranate seeds. In addition to endive, this salad can be made with any other bitter greens such as radicchio or frisee.

Basmati rice and wild rice form the base of this flavorful side dish for duck or other richly flavored meats. To flavor the pilaf, lots of shallots are sauteed in butter and then joined by pomegranate seeds, pistachios, and a generous dose of fresh cilantro and parsley.

Kohlrabi, a mild Asian relative of the turnip, is cut into thin, crunchy matchsticks and tossed with bitter greens and pomegranate seeds. Champagne vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and a pinch of sugar combine in an easy vinaigrette.