Sour Cream

Chlodnik Polish cooks serve this soup (pronounced "hu-WOHD-neek") as a cooling first course for summer meals. It's a delicious alternative to gazpacho.

Serve these tacos with salsa, shredded lettuce, sliced avocado and black olives. Corn and black bean salad finishes the meal—except for dessert. We recommend spice cake.

"The Monaco Hotel in Denver has a restaurant, Panzano, that's so good I went back several times during my stay," says Cindy Maciag of Troy, Michigan. "The ricotta pancakes at breakfast were fantastic."

Buttery-tasting Yukon Gold potatoes can now be found in grocery stores and farmers' markets all across the country, but this recipe can certainly be made with russet potatoes instead.

Try these as appetizers, as a salad (on a bed of greens) or as a light dessert.

Crema catalana is a delicious custard covered with caramelized sugar. There are several Catalan chefs who take credit for having transformed this popular dessert into an ice cream. This version is served in glasses or bowls and drizzled with a creamy caramel sauce.

Apples and apple cider lend a pleasant sweetness to this beautiful soup.

This recipe was created to accompany Strawberry Rhubarb Napoleons. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

It's important to note that the pumpernickel used in this tart should be very dense. Although we prefer the light-brown Danish pumpernickel, the dark German-style variety works just as well. For the filling we've suggested lumpfish caviar, which is readily available in the States; in Sweden, the fish roe called lojrom would probably be used. It comes from bleak, an ocean fish from the Baltic Sea.

This fresh chutney is an excellent condiment for beef, chicken, and fish.

The old-fashioned cookies are cake-like and have a nice chocolate icing.