Sour Cream

The pink-peppercorn garnish gives this chilled soup a pretty spring look.

Have creamed spinach and sautéed carrots with these updated Swedish meat loaves. Then serve applesauce and spice cookies.

Tangy and refreshing, this dip is called tzatziki in Greek. Here, it's served with crisp baked pita wedges, but it also goes well with crudités. Drain the yogurt a day before you plan to prepare the dip. And mix up a big batch of lemonade to pour throughout the picnic.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Short Ribs Provençale with Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The following is a moist and chocolaty cake suitable for many occasions. Use it to form the base for Tepee Birthday Cakes .

To many people living in the middle of the country, celebration cakes must be chocolate cakes — especially German chocolate cakes. This one embellishes the tradition, using unsweetened chocolate instead of sweet chocolate, a luscious caramel-coconut filling between the layers and lots of creamy chocolate frosting. (By the way, German chocolate cakes have nothing to do with the immigrants who settled in the heartland; the name actually comes from the fact that the cakes were first made with Baker's brand German's sweet baking chocolate.)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve these pancakes immediately, since they do not keep well in a warm oven.

"My daughter and son-in-law spend their summers on Stuart Island, one of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington," says Ann Ayres of Santa Barbara, California. "On my way back from a visit, I planned to stop in Victoria, British Columbia. My daughter suggested that I try Paprika Bistro. The beet soup I ordered there was delicious."

This ice cream is served with a hazelnut torte at Die Quadriga in the Hotel Brandenburger Hof.

Lukshen Kugel Mildred Grosberg Bellin's recipe for kugel has nothing modern about it, calling for noodles (not "pasta") and plenty of cottage cheese, butter, and sour cream. It was a treat in the test kitchens every time we tried it, and there's no need to wait until Rosh Hashanah to enjoy it. We particularly like it as a side dish to another humble favorite: pot roast.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 45 min