Buttermilk

This recipe was created to accompany Romaine and Watercress Salad with Roquefort Buttermilk Dressing . Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The cornmeal biscuit topping adds some crunch to the winning combination of fresh strawberries and rhubarb.

Buttermilk and walnuts make the difference in this delectable layer cake.

Every year for nearly twenty years Gourmet's production director baked this cake for our mailroom manager on his birthday. Suffice it to say that this delectable dessert has stood the test of time.

The reader who requested a recipe for buttermilk sherbet the way his mother used to make it was moved by more than nostalgia. This preparation is so light and so refreshing that it deserves a new vogue in the nineties.

Peter Reinhart, a baking instructor at the California Culinary Academy, says, "Ever since I was a kid, the cranberry relish has been just about my favorite part of the holiday dinner. I love how its juices run in every direction to blend with everything on the plate. Of course, it has to be good cranberry relish, with coarsely chopped berries and walnuts and plenty of orange flavor. The cranberry-walnut braid captures those flavors, and the shape makes a beautiful presentation, too.

This recipe was developed by Houston pastry chef Carrie Hart with the assistance of Girl Scout Amanda Marlow.

There are only five employees at The Little Rooster Cafe, a small breakfast and lunch spot, but its terrific food and friendly service make it popular with locals and tourists (especially those who come to browse the town's outlet stores). Chef and co-owner Hub Poelmann features a different waffle every day. "We have an open kitchen," he says. "People smell the waffles cooking, and then order them." Poelmann credits his cooks with this lemon-poppy seed recipe, which was the happy result of "playing around in the kitchen." These light waffles would also be good with maple syrup, if you prefer.

Here's the traditional southern way to bake and serve corn bread: right in the skillet. Using shortening to grease the pan produces a nice, brown crust.

A classic chocolate layer cake with a new-fashioned, thick, and rich frosting. This treat can be made up to two days ahead.

Allowing the batter to chill overnight gives the yeast time for a long, slow rise, which makes the waffles light and crisp and develops their malty flavor. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 9 hr

Food editor Melissa Roberts-Matar figured out what makes The Harrison's clams so special: the lightness of the coating. That's achieved by draining the buttermilk-soaked clams well and shaking off the excess coating after you dredge the clams. One restaurant touch that we loved was the delicious addition of fried thin lemon rounds and parsley sprigs; another was Joey Campanaro's accompanying Lemon Coriander Aïoli .

A buttermilk layer cake is filled with ginger-scented lime curd, then finished with a sweet and fluffy frosting. Make the lime curd one to two days before assembling the cake.

The King Arthur Flours, its catalog (1-800-827-6836) and web site (www. kingarthurflour.com) are, in our opinion, a baker's best friend. The staff of exemplary Vermonters is unfailingly courteous and helpful should you have a baking problem or question. They appear to be serious at-home bakers too — many of the recipes on the web site and in the catalog are contributed by employees. These cheddar and pepper scones from the web site are really part angel biscuit, part scone — not the usual dry, crumbly, heavy scone, but rich and extraordinarily light. The black pepper is a powerful ingredient, by the way — timid palates should use less.

Waffles put on their black-tie best in a treat that is both elegant and homey.