Lemon

A Caribbean spin on the 150-year-old classic, this version infuses pineapple into Pisco (a South American brandy) and uses fresh grapefruit and lime peels for added brightness.

Get the freshest ground star anise by making your own. It's as easy as grinding a few star anise pods in a spice mill or a coffee grinder.

As the batter bakes, it separates into two distinctive layers — cake on top and custard on the bottom.

Inspired by croquettes, these brightly spiced fish cakes will transport you to sunnier shores. The recipe takes advantage of the large flake and meatiness of hake to give crab cakes a run for their money.

Meyer lemons are so special — more naturally sweet and floral than regular lemons — and we think using them in a soufflé is a nice way to highlight their uniqueness. Getting a hot soufflé to the dining room is like walking a tightrope; you find yourself mumbling, "Don't fall, don't fall." Which is exactly what makes this the perfect dessert to serve in the kitchen — just bake it and get it on the table immediately for everyone to dig in.

The labor is minimal: Soften the butter and mix in herbs and spices, then chill. But it pays off in so many ways — the butter provides a richness to the pan sauce for the filet mignon and an exotic finishing for the accompanying artichokes and haricots verts.

This moist cake keeps beautifully for a day or two after you make it.

Super-easy to make and packed with flavor. Look for panko in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

Here, rhubarb becomes a sweet-tart stuffing and sauce for roast chicken. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Inspired by an antipasto that's popular at New York City's Lupa, this substantial salad takes a hearty, rich green that's usually cooked and proves how delicious it can be when served raw.

Rustic, tangy salmoriglio is the Italian equivalent of chimichurri, the popular Argentinean herb sauce.

Traditional papillote takes time and requires origami-like folding. Here, we use foil to make a no-mess pouch; the fish becomes infused with the flavors of tomato, capers, garlic, and lemon.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Andrew Irving's book, How to Cure a Hangover. For those who don't like alcohol the morning after. The Pussyfoot Cocktail contains all the old favorite juices and is a classic hangover cure.

With 35 percent fewer calories than sugar cookies, these sweets belong in your holiday cookie jar.

I developed this light and tasty Italian-style tuna salad for Parma, an Italian fresh-made fast-food company that had quite a successful run in Philadelphia, including Air Parma at the airport. The salad is light because the tuna is dressed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice instead of the usual mayonnaise. The fresh herbs give it brightness, and the red bell peppers and purple olives make for a colorful and appetizing preparation. The important thing here is to use the tasty tuna packed in olive oil enjoyed throughout the Mediterranean region, rather than the drier, rather mealy white tuna packed in water.

These tiny cakes make terrific gifts, packaged in sets of three — one of each flavor. The basic vanilla batter is also wonderful for other variations — try orange rind and white chocolate-chip, raisin-walnut, or "the kitchen sink" (that's whatever you need to get rid of in your pantry). I also like to keep some of these loaves in my freezer for impromptu breakfast parties. Just move them to the refrigerator before bed, and they'll be thawed by morning.

This traditional Italian liqueur looks beautiful in decorative glass bottles that show off its bright-yellow color. For added effect, tuck in some lemon leaves, which are available at many florist shops (just be sure to wash them well before blanching). If you're giving the limoncello as a gift, you'll want to start it well in advance, since it requires a week of steeping. It's best drunk cold, so you may want to refrigerate the bottle before handing it over, in case the recipient wants to crack it open on the spot. It's also delicious poured over fresh strawberries.