Food Processor

This classic cookie combines two of my favorite sweets: buttery-tender Scottish shortbread and satiny lilting English lemon curd. The problem has always been getting a firm enough topping and avoiding a soggy shortbread base. The special technique discovered for this recipe virtually guarantees success. The clean, refreshing flavor of lemon makes these the perfect sweets to follow a rich Christmas goose.

This is creamy corn with no cream at all. Our trick? The juice of freshly cut corn thickened with cornstarch.

This rich, savory dish (pronounced shrimp mah-lih-tone) is pure Cajun comfort food. In Louisiana it's often served as a side dish; it also works as a first course.

Begin making this cake one day in advance.

This dip was inspired by a recipe for bissara, a garlicky purée from Egypt made from dried broad beans, in Claudia Roden's Mediterranean Cookery.

"In your September 1997 issue, page 146, you answered a reader's inquiry about why pesto discolors," says Al Herron of Prescott, Arizona. "You offered a traditional solution, but I believe there is a better one: Mix fresh pesto with yogurt, and the pesto will not turn brown over time as it ordinarily does. (For many years I used the olive-oil-on-top trick with limited success.) I have kept leftover pesto mixed with yogurt in the refrigerator for several days with no discernible change in color or flavor. The proportion can vary — as little as one part yogurt to eight parts pesto, or as much as you like for flavor."

Here's a hot Indian meal interpreted as an exotic and refreshing meatless salad.

"For a dinner with company, I often pop these in the oven with a roast, then serve them on dressed mixed greens as an appetizer," writes Elsie Wollaston of Vancouver, Canada. "I also like to serve them directly from the ramekins as a brunch dish."

"My girlfriend and I had our first date at The Bridge Café in Westport, Connecticut," writes Terrel Korik of St. Louis, Missouri. "We both enjoyed the corn and basil soup while looking out over the Saugatuck River. I would love to have the soup recipe to try at our new home in St. Louis."

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 4 hr (includes chilling and freezing)

Fresh mint makes this starter all the more cooling. Use Haas avocados for the creamiest texture. What to drink: Throughout the meal, go with the classics — beer and Margaritas.

Look for chili-garlic sauce in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.