Citrus

This is my recipe for a straightforward apple pie. It reflects not only my preferences but also countless influences. It is intentionally imprecise because there are so many variables to consider. To get it right, you pretty much have to taste as you go along or trust your instincts.

A sprinkling of orange peel and parsley contrasts with the spicy crust on the salmon fillets. Serve with corn on the cob and a crisp, cold Chardonnay.

A delicate and sophisticated main course. Look for trout fillets with skin or have the fishmonger fillet two whole trout for you.

This is one of those recipes that has pretty much disappeared in the United States, but those who remember it rave about it. A fluden, which comes from fladni or fladen, "flat cake" in German, is just that, a flat, double-or often multilayered flaky pastry filled with poppy seeds, apples and raisins, or cheese. It was originally common to southern Germany and Alsace-Lorraine, later spreading east to Hungary, Romania, and other Eastern European countries. Often flavored with honey, it was eaten in the fall at Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot and is symbolic, like strudel, of an abundant yield. I have tasted apple two-layered fluden at Jewish bakeries and restaurants in Paris, Budapest, Tel Aviv, and Vienna, sometimes made with a butter crust, sometimes with an oil-based one. But only in Paris have I tasted the delicious fig rendition, a French fig bar, from Finkelsztajn's Bakery. (Figs, my father used to tell me, were often eaten in Germany as the new fruit on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.) This recipe is a perfect example of the constant flux of Jewish foods. Today, with the huge population of Tunisian Jews in Paris, it is no wonder that the Finkelsztajn family spike their fig filling with bou'ha, a Jewish Tunisian fig liqueur used for kiddush, the blessing over the wine on the Sabbath. You can, of course, use kirsch or any other fruit liqueur instead.

This recipe was created to accompany Couscous and Chicken Salad with Orange- Balsamic Dressing.

The slightly sweet sauce is a nice complement to the delicate fish. Serve it with stir-fried green beans and steamed rice.

Remove the skin and fat from a whole cut-up chicken to make this Middle Eastern dish.

Complement this fragrant dish with Asian noodles or steamed rice.

Carrots, red onion, cilantro, Kalamata olives and a fragrant cumin dressing make a lovely summertime salad.

Marinate the game hens overnight. They're served with snow peas.

"Pané" comes from the French verb "paner," meaning to coat with bread crumbs.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

If you're in a last-minute rush for dessert, use purchased sorbet.

Pears are eaten widely in this part of the country, and Campari-based aperitivi begin many meals. Here the herb-based drink shows up after supper, adding its festive color and distinctive flavor to an easy-to-make pear dessert topped with a sauce incorporating Italy's famous mascarpone cheese. The pears are even better when accompanied by glasses of the Italian dessert wine Malvasia delle Lipari.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. French fries and purchased ratatouille are perfect with the steaks, and almond cake with fruit compote completes the menu.