Make Ahead

The compote is a mixture of spiced fresh and dried fruits that are cooked in white grape juice and white wine. Any leftovers are great over ice cream or with plain yogurt for breakfast. Prepare the compote and flans at least one day before you plan to serve them.

This adaptation of a Persian dish is a perfect party recipe because it is so seductive — and it can be done ahead.

This recipe serves 4 as a main course after you set aside half of the veal shanks and sauce to make Eggplant and Veal Pastitsio . Otherwise it serves 8. If you will be making the pastitsio, the reserved shanks will give you an extra marrowbone for each serving of braised shanks.

Before tasting the oysters served by Tadashi Ono at New York's Matsuri, I was convinced that the best oyster is a naked one. But there is something magical about the way frozen ponzu brings out the sweetness of a plump oyster; add the crunch of tobiko and you have something absolutely extraordinary. In our version, we serve the oysters on a bed of seaweed to keep them flat and to retain their liquor. If you can't find seaweed, substitute a bed of uncooked sushi rice. Traditional ponzu (a soy citrus sauce) is made with fish stock (dashi), but we used a kelp broth instead because we found the stock too heavy.

Try these with roast pork, as well.

Any kind of flatbread or crusty roll is perfect with this Moroccan concoction. You could also use the dip as a salad dressing or sauce for fish.

Lapsang souchong tea imparts a subtle smokiness to these nuts; though you may not detect it immediately, the smoky flavor will set in as you eat more.

Unlike the sweet animal crackers in the familiar circus box, these boast a savory cheese flavor. They're a nice accompaniment to the chicken soup with rice.

While this calls for four herbs, just one or two—rosemary and thyme, for example—would be fine.

Most of the alcohol in this cake cooks off, but a distinct whiskey flavor remains.

Cooking collards slowly is the traditional approach in the South, producing tender greens and the bonus of pot likker, the pale green pork-flavored broth left in the pot after the collards are served up. Many people sip a small cup of the pot likker as a cure for the common cold, while others dunk their corn muffins in it.

This soup looks thick but doesn't taste at all heavy. In fact, it has an almost billowy texture, but with enough substance to still be satisfying. The addition of just a small amount of toasted almonds adds some crunch to the equation.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from Justin Rashid of American Spoon Foods in Petoskey, Michigan. To read more about Rashid and the northwestern Michigan cherry harvest, click here. "This is a fresh, colorful salsa that I make at home — a nice alternative to cooked versions like the cherry-peach that we sell at American Spoon Foods," says Rashid. "Feel free to substitute sweet cherries such as Bings — you'll just need to reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons."

Use any combination of ripe melons that you can find. Charentais (or Cavaillon), delicious French melons with orange flesh, are at farmers' markets now, while Galia (sweet and aromatic, similar to honeydew) and Sharlyn (a white-fleshed variety that tastes like a combination of honeydew and cantaloupe) are increasingly available at supermarkets.

Doris Jacobson of Anaheim, California, writes: "I host many family gatherings, and I always get requests for my lemon bars. They're easy to make and perfect for picnics at the beach or an evening at the Hollywood Bowl. Plus, they can be made ahead." Lots of lemon zest and lemon juice with all the pulp set these bars apart.

Doris Jacobson of Anaheim, California, writes: "I host many family gatherings, and I always get requests for my lemon bars and my caponata appetizer. They're easy to make and perfect for picnics at the beach or an evening at the Hollywood Bowl. Plus, both recipes can be made ahead. Fresh basil brightens up this traditional eggplant spread. Serve it on baguette slices or crackers.

These icebox cookies are perfect for a party because the dough can be made ahead and chilled or frozen until you are ready to slice and bake.

These sweet-and-sour peaches perk up the flavor of ham and fried chicken; they are also very good with vanilla ice cream.