American

Adding the whole basil leaves to the finished soup gives it a super-fresh taste.

Spooning this conserve over yogurt makes a light, sweet summer dessert.

I first created this recipe at Routh Street Cafe in 1984. I've since had it on menus at five different restaurants in some form or another. It's also delicious when spread with a mixture of one part jalapeño jelly and three parts cream cheese whipped together. It's also best served warm.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Serve this with steamed baby carrots, coleslaw and pickled cucumbers.

Upside-down cakes made with fruit became popular in America only at the end of the nineteenth century, although they had a long history in Europe. The addition of pineapple, a New World food, most likely came about after 1903, the year a Hawaiian businessman named James Dole began marketing cans of the tropical fruit on the mainland. The modified dessert found particularly wide acceptance in the Midwest.

What northerners call stuffing, southerners call dressing. Oysters and eggplant are a classic Louisiana combination, and the bite of cayenne adds to the authenticity. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Poquitos are small, pinkish-brown beans indigenous to the Santa Ynez region. Dried pink beans are a good substitute.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A bowl of fresh fruit and some mixed nuts would be very nice go-withs here.

Here's a perfect partner for turkey or veal burgers, sausages and toasted French bread.

Todd English — the chef/owner of Olives and the four Figs restaurants, all in and around Boston — was named Best Chef in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation. He's also the author of two cookbooks. For his "clambake" extravaganza, you'll need a grill with a lid.