Broil

A relatively new item in the produce section, broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. It has a milder, sweeter taste than broccoli. Buy German potato salad, and braise red cabbage to serve warm with the open-face sandwiches. Gingerbread and chunky applesauce make a perfect finale.

Jars of mixed peppercorns—red, green, white and black—can be found in supermarket spice racks. Uncork a bottle of Zinfandel to go with this simple, great-tasting main course.

Leaping off the backs of onion-soup-mix boxes and showing up at cocktail parties everywhere, Lipton’s sour cream-and-onion dip took the country by storm. Convenient and quick, the dip also tasted great on potato chips, without which, in the fifties anyway, it wasn’t a party. These days it isn’t a party without little toasts topped by something Mediterranean-hence this zesty update.

Stir-fried Sugar Snap Peas and Cherry Tomatoes and buttered couscous are great sides. Round out the meal with sugared strawberries and toasted pound cake.

Even though purists protested, a variety of ingredients were used to flavor the classic French custard. And in all its incarnations, it became the fin-de-siécle way to end a swanky restaurant meal.

This classic combination of melted cheese and toasted bread is also called Welsh rarebit — an attempt to dignify the original (and slightly silly) name. For best visual appeal, use an aged yellow Cheddar for the sauce.

"I had a wonderful dinner at the Ligonier Tavern in Ligonier, Pennsylvania," writes Heather McCarthy of Pittsburgh. "The starter — an artichoke dip — stands out most in my memory. Any chance that chef David Cassler would share his recipe?"

Puerto Nuevo, a seaside village in Baja California, Mexico, is famous for its Pacific spiny lobster. For food safety, be sure to broil the lobsters immediately after they have been boiled and split. What to drink: Assorted chilled Mexican beers.

Judy Rodgers is currently working on a cookbook from her Zuni Café in San Francisco. Grilling the mushrooms for this salad (which will appear in the new book) intensifies their flavor. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 35 min

Black cod is steeped in sweet miso before being baked in the oven. The sweetness of Nobu-style Saikyo Miso is an excellent match with the plumpness of the fish.

Serve with rice or boiled new potatoes.

Ensalada de Ejote, Espinaca, y Betabel The green beans and the poblano chiles in the salad dressing may be the only ingredients that are indigenous to Mexico, but the colorful combination of vegetables, with their contrasting textures, results in a fitting accompaniment to any Mexican dinner.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.