Lemon

Serve with: Parslied new potatoes and a frisée salad with goat cheese. Dessert: Pineapple sorbet with sliced strawberries.

Flounder is a lean, thin fish that cooks very quickly. So be sure to cook it 4 to 5 inches from the heat source — and watch it carefully! Clover sprouts are available in the produce department of better supermarkets.

If the grill is large enough, cook the artichokes alongside the steaks; otherwise, grill these first and serve at room temperature.

"Here in Seattle, there's a place called 60th Street Desserts that makes fabulous lemon shortbread bars; the cookies are both sweet and tart," says Lucille van der Hagen of Seattle, WA. "Could you ask Joan Williams, the owner, for the recipe?" A crumb topping makes a nice addition to the classic bar cookie. Prepare the filling while the crust is baking; if the crust cools before the lemon filling is poured over it, the filling might seep beneath the crust.

"Michael Kornick's hip mk restaurant in Chicago has quickly become one of my favorite places for a special dinner," writes Thien Sylora of Chicago, Illinois. "I had a terrific gazpacho there."

Do not allow the meringue to overcolor when baking — check the oven often. Chill the pie well before serving.

Lemongrass lends a delicate flavor to this simple roast chicken from Market. Begin marinating the chicken one day ahead.

Poppy seeds have a tendency to go rancid quickly, so be sure to use a fresh jar (and refrigerate or freeze it afterwards).

For an impressive presentation, I always set the lemon halves in red-wine glasses, because their bowls are larger than white-wine glasses. Serve extra lemons alongside.

This distinctive fat-free drink is a great change of pace from coffee or tea.

These thin cookies resemble the strip of lemon peel that's often served with a cup of espresso.

Using stale pita will keep the bread from getting soggy in the salad.

Lemon curd separates the layers of this fine-crumbed, very-special-occasion cake. Get started at least one day ahead: The frosting base and lemon curd must chill overnight before using. For the frosting, high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina) works best.

In the good old days, when everyone baked, the bake sale offered cooks a chance to strut their stuff. The competition was friendly but cut-throat, and winners were determined by whose sweets sold first - and at what premium price. In celebration of those leisurely times, here is a classic lemon meringue pie.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.