Snack

If you're making these fries to go with the broiled steak with horseradish cream, as shown below, skip the chipotle mayonnaise and squeeze lemon or lime juice over the fries.

These skewers are traditionally made with Brazilian queijo de coalho, a dense, salty white cheese very similar in taste and texture to the Haloumi we use here. Soaking the cheese on the skewers removes some of the salt and prevents the skewers from burning.

This dish — meant to be eaten with your fingers or with wooden picks — is a light, refreshing hors d'oeuvre to complement tequila. The recipe is a take on the jicama and cucumber spears that are a popular Mexican street snack.

This is a popular street food in Sicily, especially in Palermo, where warm panelle are served between two pieces of country bread.

This is a simple variation on the classic French brandade, traditionally made with salt cod. Prepare the crostini while your potatoes are simmering.

You can make the lavender syrup and slice the berries ahead of time, but toss them together at the last minute. Any remaining lemon sugar can be used to sweeten espresso or tea.

These sweet-crisp cookies can be baked days ahead and, because the recipe is so generous, you can send your guests home with some.

Bev Heinecke of San Anselmo, California, writes: "Many of our favorite family recipes come from my mother-in-law, Hannah, who was a wonderful cook. When my sons were younger I made her chocolate macaroons and pancakes all the time. I don't make them quite as often as I used to, but they're still a hit with my husband."

This lightly sweet brioche is the coffee cake of Alsace (where it is also known by its German name, kugelhopf). It can be baked in an eight- or nine-cup crown-shaped kouglof (or kugelhopf) mold, a fluted ring mold, or a tube or Bundt pan. While the cake is best on the same day it is baked, leftovers are delicious toasted.

Rose water lends a subtle floral flavor to the scones; it can be found at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and Middle Eastern markets.

Barbecue without beer is, well, too depressing to contemplate, and I'm not just talking about to drink. Beer's malty sweetness and pleasantly bitter edge of hops make for an interesting marinade. These Calgary Hot Wings were inspired by the Big Rock Brewery, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I taught a memorable cooking class at Big Rock—memorable not only for the impressive assortment of interesting beers on tap but also for the fact that it snowed 3 inches during my outdoor class, a first for this Miami-based grill guy.

A corkscrew shape gives these light cookies a new look.