Make Ahead

This can be tossed with a pound of pasta (serve warm or chilled), used as a topping for grilled chicken, or spread onto toasted slices of baguette or focaccia.

A sweet substitute for traditional steak sauce. Try it on a rib eye, use it to marinate flank steak, or mix it into ground beef for burgers.

This classic "green sauce" (not related to the Mexican tomatillo salsa of the same name) can be used as a dip for crudités, grilled shrimp, or focaccia; or spooned over grilled fish, chicken, or lamb.

No fluff in a jar — this is the real deal.

All-American hot fudge gets a jolt of flavor from ground coffee beans.

The sweetness of this brittle is balanced by a sprinkling of salt.

Once you've tried ice cream made with fresh mint leaves — a far cry from the neon-green stuff — you'll never go back. Here, it's enclosed in a thick robe of rich bittersweet chocolate.

The best desserts are those that manage to be sweetly satisfying while also containing an element of surprise, and this unique granita certainly fits the bill. We first had a version of it at Manhattan's Wallsé, and were stunned by the interplay among the bright, verdant mix of apple and celery with the richness of olive oil and the heat of grated horseradish. (Here, we've substituted wasabi for the horseradish.) It's a truly sophisticated way to end a meal.

If you're searching for a showstopping dessert (that is secretly easy to make) to serve company, look no further. Each gorgeous — and delicious — tricolored slice is a canvas of decorative swirls: vibrant orange, deep purple, and creamy white.

This chilly treat may well make your freezer more popular than the neighborhood ice cream truck. The lemony ice cream center is a bright contrast to the surrounding chewy coconut macaroons — and the sandwiches are easily held by eager little hands.

Although chocolate and raspberry are a luxurious combination, these beautifully layered ice pops are surprisingly light. They're a refreshing dessert after an alfresco meal, or a perfect treat on a hot afternoon.

This recipe makes lots of big cookies, but don't even think of saving half the dough for another day, because you won't want to stop eating them. Food editor Paul Grimes, who tested the recipe, has already slipped it into his personal recipe file. "Next time I need a peanut butter cookie," he says, "I'm turning to this." Happily, the recipe works with either conventional or natural creamy peanut butter.

Heady lemon verbena lends an herbal, floral note to our summer pudding. Be sure to save this recipe for when you've found fresh verbena — dried just won't be the same.

A little easy preparation, plus time, yields a gorgeous old-fashioned English dessert that showcases summer berries in the most glorious way. The bread retains a bit of its texture and absorbs all the natural juices exuded by the berries for a cool, smooth intensity.

Those abstaining from the cocktails will appreciate this equally refreshing use of basil and lemon, two flavors that pair beautifully.

This recipe makes enough for several batches of the vodka gimlets or lemonade; any left over would also give a nice hit of flavor to a glass of iced tea.

Commercial fruit vinegars usually employ cooked fruit, resulting in a heavy, jammy, and not-so-nuanced flavor. We made our vinegar with uncooked berries, so it retains that fresh-from-the-patch essence.