Lemon

This pineapple and tequila cocktail is a beach party in a glass.

We highly recommend finishing the pasta with finely grated Parmesan and some extra cracked black pepper—they’re great flavors with the creamy lemon sauce.

Using a vanilla bean makes this creamy pudding extra special and aromatic. But if you don’t have one on hand, just stir 1 tablespoon vanilla extract into the pudding along with the egg yolks. Although rice pudding is traditionally served cold, I also like this when it’s still warm and a little runny, poured over sliced strawberries and raspberries, which add both juiciness and acidity.

In this cake, the natural pectin in the citrus, combined with the sugar, creates a pudding-like upside-down layer that’s similar to a buttery marmalade.

This is my adult version of cheesecake, full of togarashi. I use it a lot in savory recipes to add spice, but here it gives the cake a sharp, spicy note that helps balance the denseness.

Savory cornmeal meets the sweetness of blueberries and zest of a lemon for tender muffins that come together in 45 minutes.

Using a sliced whole lemon gives you unbeatable fresh aroma from the skin, bitter complexity from the pith, and tart, puckery juice from the flesh. Thin slices soften evenly and ensure that the lemon plays nicely with the pasta, butter, and Parmesan.

Thyme goes beautifully with sweet and citrus flavors, making it perfect for cocktails. This recipe multiplies easily for large groups.

No booze required for this soothing green tea toddy. But if you do want an extra dose of warmth, we like this with smoky mezcal.

Wake up deviled eggs with a bright and briny tonnato-inspired filling. Top with crispy fried capers and salmon roe for extra salty pop.

In this recipe, white fish gets smothered in a garlicky olive paste, then wrapped in chard leaves before simmering in a lemony, cilantro-laced sauce.

It couldn’t be simpler to combine honey, grapefruit, lemon, and seltzer, but the mixture is surprisingly complex in flavor, both tangy and rich.

Pansit palabok is a luscious, buttery, bisque–like shrimp sauce tossed with white rice noodles and topped with tsitsaron, crisp-fried pork rinds.

A sharp lemon filling, sweet-and-salty meringue, and shatteringly crisp crust combine to make a balanced update to this classic.

This pesto variation is built on a combination of toasted nuts, creamy ricotta, salty Parm, and a little kick of raw garlic. You don’t need a food processor or a blender to make it; everything comes together in a single bowl.

These roasted turnips are dressed in a sweet, salty, slightly spicy togarashi-spiked sauce that keeps you coming back for more. 

Don’t even think about lifting this cake out of the pan before it’s completely—and we mean completely—cool.

This creamy lemon pasta recipe is luscious and amply cheesy, but still bright and fresh. Best part: You can make it for dinner in just 15 minutes.