Citrus

This dense orange cake, drizzled with orange glaze, is always a favorite at the annual P-Patch harvest banquet.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended preparation time.

Two layers of tender orange sponge cake are embellished with a rich orange and honey chocolate glaze. Any leftover chocolate glaze can be chilled, rolled into small rounds and kept refrigerated to serve as truffles with coffee or tea.

Offer baked potatoes or garlic bread with dinner and watermelon for dessert.

The Mango and Red Onion Salsa is nice alongside this low-fat entreé.

Chili powder and chopped jalapeño add a touch of heat to this smooth appetizer. Try sprinkling it with chopped red onion for some crunch and color.

Offer this with Herbed Eggplant as a first course. Icy-cold ouzo is the perfect aperitif for the meal.

(GRANITA DI LIMONE) This Sicilian classic is churned on the eastern part of the island and stirred instead in the west. We have included instructions for both methods. The granita is (authentically) very tart. Most of us thought it was refreshing, but a couple of sweet-tooth types found it a bit too puckery. If you like your dessert on the sweeter side, increase the sugar to 1/2 cup.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Canned black beans with Caribbean seasoning save lots of time and effort. Whisk ground allspice into some bottled oil-and-vinegar dressing, and toss with mixed greens. Garnish the soup with yogurt and chopped red onions, and serve it with some sweet potato chips. To end, spoon sliced bananas and dark rum over coffee ice cream.

In its traditional form, this classic Lao soup is made with noodles rolled out and cut to order for each bowl. It is still excellent made with dried rice noodles. You can substitute fish, chicken, or pork for the beef, but rice noodles are an essential ingredient. The Lao like a considerable amount of lime juice in their food—here a range is given so that you can flavor the soup to your taste.