Starter

If you are not able to find Pont l'Evêque cheese, either Taleggio or Brie would also work well in this lovely starter from Charlie Trotter's in Chicago.

Soaking the leek in vinegar and water helps to pull out the dirt and sand. Be sure to rinse well.

Soaking the red onion in cold water mellows its strong flavor.

This salad is dressed with a red pepper and tomato sauce.

Roasting the asparagus intensifies its flavor and is easy to do.

Peppery arugula, sweet, ripe strawberries, and buttery hazelnuts create layers of contrasting flavor in this simple salad.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

This recipe was inspired by the version at Tramonti e Muffati restaurant, where the dish gets its distinctly Roman flavor from local mint, Sicilian lemons, and two-year-old Grana Padano cheese. The pine nuts are raw here, as Italians rarely toast them. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 20 min

Brush thick slices of country bread with olive oil to grill alongside the vegetables. To begin, dice some cucumber into chilled vichyssoise (either from a can or from restaurant takeout); offer watermelon and bakery brownies for dessert.

Pea shoots are the tender, leafy branch tips of edible pea plants (not to be confused with flowering sweet peas, which are poisonous). There are huge variations in taste among shoots from different varieties, but the sweetest are those from edible podded peas.

Holly Gustafson of Shaker Heights, Ohio, writes: "Noggins Restaurant, Raw Bar & Pub is a great restaurant in my neighborhood that serves the most wonderful artichoke-blue cheese bisque. I've searched many cooking Web sites for something similar, but I can't find anything close to it. Can you help me get the real recipe?" The blue cheese adds a pungent note to this silky, warming soup.

A dash of curry powder transforms this cool fruit soup into a sweetly savory first course.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

Accompany the risotto with a lettuce and radicchio salad, and pass a basket of poppy-seed breadsticks. A strawberry tart would be a nice way to end the meal. See how to finely chop herbs.