Broil

Adrienne Herman of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, writes: "I recently enjoyed a terrific meal at the Eiffel Tower restaurant at Paris Las Vegas. The highlight was the crème brûlée, which I would love to re-create at home."

Roasted green chilies add spice to this do-ahead dish, which happens to be a great way to use up leftover chicken.

Chicken gets a south-of-the-border treatment with a tomato-chipotle sauce infused with lime and garlic.

Chimichurri is a vibrant sauce of parsley and olive oil (with a little kick from red pepper flakes) that's traditionally served on grilled meats in Argentina. In this recipe, flank steak is marinated in the chimichurri, broiled, and then sliced and served on baguette slices with a dollop of the sauce. You can serve this warm or at room temperature.

We can thank Vic Bergeron — owner of Trader Vic's restaurant, in San Francisco — for bringing rumaki into mainstream dining culture. He claimed that this delicious hors d'oeuvre came from Hawaii, with Chinese roots and a Japanese name. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

This is a dish you might be served in a café in the Middle East. It's simple and flavorful and makes a quick dinner; it's also great for a picnic.

To clean leeks, trim off 3 inches of the green and then slice them in half lengthwise. Run under cold water to remove sand, then continue with the recipe.

Serve with jicama sticks, radish slices, peeled cooked shrimp, and corn tortilla chips.

The cilantro lime topping in this recipe is a Southeast Asian variation on the classic Italian gremolata, which is made with parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 20 min

In this recipe, tortillas are a supermarket stand-in for mandarin pancakes. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 35 min

Spectacular but easy, thanks to purchased ice cream and sorbet. The meringue is browned in the broiler, like a baked Alaska, just before serving.

If you prefer, you can pile the lamb and salad on top of a larger pocketless pita for an open-face sandwich and drizzle with sauce. Pocketless pitas are sold at specialty foods shops and many supermarkets. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

Tomato gratin or potato, red pepper, and fennel salad would make a terrific accompaniment to the fish.

Couscous is frequently thought of as a grain, but it's actually a pasta. This is more apparent in rounds of toasted Israeli couscous, which are larger and chewier than the familiar Moroccan kind. Try this dish with chicken or fish.

When choosing a steak, look for meat with good marbling (fat that runs throughout). This keeps the meat from shrinking and drying as it cooks.

These peppers flavor up Fireside Lamb Stew as well as a simple sandwich.