Nut

Crunchy peanuts team up with peanut butter and caramel in this decadent candy bar-like sweet.

The lusciously sticky caramel-pecan top layer in this brownie was inspired by the chewy chocolate candies called "turtles."

This tart is a snap to put together, thanks to purchased puff pastry. The square shape is something different for the summer table.

A sophisticated and easy-to-make salad.

Green papaya salad in all its regional variations - often flavored with pork, beef, or shrimp (as below)-is hugely popular throughout Southeast Asia. The dish is made from unripe Southeast Asian papayas, which have firm white flesh and white seeds. The current popularity of Vietnamese and Thai food in the United States has increased these papayas' availability, although it is still generally limited to Asian markets. Such papayas can grow to the size of cantaloupes or larger and range in shape from oval to round. Look for rock-hard dark green fruit without a trace of pink or yellow blush. If you don't see any, ask (some shopkeepers do not display them). Those who can't find the right kind of papaya might skip the salad or substitute seedless (European) cucumbers despite the repetition with the main course. Those who can find Southeast Asian green papayas will be treated to a salad that our food editors found irresistible.

Boiling the vinegar concentrates and sweetens it, so the dressing doesn't require as much oil to balance the acid. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These dense, moist treat are irresistible. Wrapped in a pretty box, they make a great gift, too.

A delicious salad that can be partnered with some crusty bread to make a light main course. The recipe yields a generous amount of vinaigrette; if you have some left over, try tossing it with oriental noodles, dipping fried wontons into it or brushing some onto chicken breasts right before grilling them.

Our food editors dreamed up this variation on a classic theme for our "all-French" issue, published to coincide with the French republic's Bicentennial celebrations.