Coconut

Wemonrat Pok, an immigrant from Thailand, opened Siam House 11 years ago near the campus of Indiana University in the lively college town of Bloomington. It's a family business — Wemonrat is the chef, and her aunt and cousin help out with the cooking. The elegant restaurant with several small dining rooms occupies a lovely old home. Thai sculptures and creaky hardwood floors add to the charm; great food and an accommodating staff keep locals coming back. The batter and bananas can be prepared ahead of time, leaving only the frying to do at the last minute.

Don't waste your time looking for green peas in this recipe. In Jamaica, you'll often hear kidney beans called peas. Locals consume "rice and peas" so frequently that some people say it should be on the nation's coat of arms. In this version — which Lezlene Brown, a cook at a villa in Ocho Rios, serves to guests and family — the Scotch bonnet chile is there to contribute only the merest hint of heat and to amplify the flavors of the other ingredients.

Ambrosia is fruit dessert that is also a salad. We Southerners always add it to Thanksgiving and Christmas menus to allow us to have the illusion that we're not in too much trouble with our diets, because after all, "We only had ambrosia for dessert!" The better the oranges in it, the better it is. Splurge and get flavor-filled navel oranges if you can. In any case, seedless oranges are a must. If there are going to be children at the meal, you can add maraschino cherries—sans stems. My mother always did, perhaps because one of my treasured memories from childhood was when my father took me to the men's club and ordered me a Shirley Temple with a maraschino cherry. I ate nearly a whole bottle, thanks to the indulgent waiter.

When you're cooking with veggies, don't overlook dessert! This cake has great texture, thanks to both pureed and grated carrots. It's delicious with or without frosting and great for parties.

Coconut milk, which gives a velvety texture to this pound cake, can be found in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

"Since I moved from the West Coast to Santa Fe, I've been baking more quick breads because my recipes for yeast doughs just aren't the same without the sea air." Joan Nugent of Sante Fe, New Mexico. "A leftover can of coconut milk inspired this recipe for muffins. To guarantee that I always have something interesting for breakfast, I prepare extras and freeze them."

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A luscious caramel-lime sauce makes this dessert a real star.

A caldin is a coconut curry, typical of Goa. Though caldins are made with fresh coconut milk in India, chef Cardoz uses Chaokoh brand canned unsweetened coconut milk. It's thicker and richer than other brands, and imparts a great deal of flavor. It's important not to let the caldin boil during cooking, or the coconut sauce will break.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

To many people living in the middle of the country, celebration cakes must be chocolate cakes — especially German chocolate cakes. This one embellishes the tradition, using unsweetened chocolate instead of sweet chocolate, a luscious caramel-coconut filling between the layers and lots of creamy chocolate frosting. (By the way, German chocolate cakes have nothing to do with the immigrants who settled in the heartland; the name actually comes from the fact that the cakes were first made with Baker's brand German's sweet baking chocolate.)

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This granola is delicious topped with fresh fruit (we suggest kiwifruit and pineapple) or on its own, served with milk or yogurt. The recipe makes about 6 cups, so you'll have some left over.

Ribbons of soft coconut stand in for noodles in this version of the popular Thai dish.