Summer

Happily, this fish dish can be made a day ahead. Simply remove it from the refrigerator and arrange 2 hours before serving. Even better, the sauce also can be made 2 days ahead and kept, well covered, in the refrigerator. It's from Mexico, One Plate at a Time (Scribner), by Rick Bayless, the celebrated Chicago chef and cookbook author.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

In a Korean home or restaurant, grilled ribs (kalbi kui) would be accompanied by the spicy pickled cabbage called kimchi. It's available in the refrigerated foods section of some supermarkets and at Korean and Asian markets. For the ribs, have the butcher cut the flanken across the bones into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Begin marinating the ribs one day ahead. What to drink: Asian lager.

A mixture of ground sirloin and ground chuck works best for these. (Don't use lean or extra-lean meat — the burgers won't be nearly as juicy.) Cold beer is the perfect accompaniment, so put bottles of Indian pale ale on ice; for guests who prefer wine, pour a fruity Beaujolais.

"One evening my husband took me to a marvelous restaurant, Al Biernat's, in nearby Dallas," says Janice E. Bryant of Irving, Texas."I had an innovative salad—greens tossed with grilled pear slices, walnuts, blue cheese and a terrific vinaigrette."

Mary deMuth of Rowlett, Texas, writes: "Because my husband is in a graduate program, we've been able to meet people from all over the world. It has been a great experience for our three children — and a chance for me to add to my recipe collection. We frequently have other students over for dinner, so I'm always learning new dishes. Next year our family will be moving to southern France, and we're very excited about the food we'll have there. We hope to make many new friends who will share their Provençal specialties. " Try these on grilled buns for a "burger" variation. Panko is available in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets.

(Amanida amb Epàrrec i Pernil) A Catalan composed salad, or amanida, may be made of almost anything, though ham, sausage, or anchovies are often included. Traditionally, the ingredients are added to the final presentation individually rather than mixed together. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

This golden curry cooks quickly, so the vegetables are just tender. A flourish of mint adds the final spark.

Use a sharp vegetable peeler to shave the Parmesan cheese into long strips.

This New York-style cheesecake — with a hidden layer of sweet peach compote — is an ideal do-ahead dessert. It also travels well: Just glaze the cake in its pan and chill. When ready to serve, release the sides, then top the cake with fresh peach slices. Begin preparing this at least one day in advance.

This compote makes a lovely (and low-fat) dessert on its own, but the addition of ice cream and won ton strips makes it something special.

Because skirt steaks can be very long, it's much easier to handle them when they are cut in half.

A grill pan is just the thing for cooking the chicken and zucchini in this recipe.

Provide knives so your guests can slice the sections into individual ribs. Have lots of damp paper towels on hand.

Serve with: Rice pilaf and a salad of red-leaf lettuce with rice wine vinaigrette. Dessert: Grilled pineapple and vanilla ice cream.