Snack

A tangy little appetizer (or go-with) that's a breeze to put together. Lemonade, soda or Pinot Grigio would be great with this menu.

"My wife, Jean, and I run a coffee farm on the Big Island of Hawaii," writes George Fike of Keauhou Mauka, Hawaii. "I really love to cook, so we entertain a lot, and I enjoy planning the dinners as much as I do making them. I tell people the best restaurant in town is our house! Since I do most of the cooking, recipes must either be relatively fast or look after themselves." Based on George's mother's recipe, this is an easy, moist, and tender carrot cake with delicate tropical flavors and macadamia nuts. There are a lot of ingredients, but they come together in just minutes.

Ceviche de Dorado con Chile Jalapeño y Coco The fish is marinated in fresh lime juice (and therefore partly "cooked").

This crowd-pleasing dip is a natural with potato chips and good with crudités, too.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Individual Chocolate Raspberry Baked Alaskas . This recipe will yield more than you need for the baked Alaskas, but who would mind a little extra ice cream in the house?

Though reminiscent of the warm soft pretzels you may have had at baseball games or on the street, these are even better because they're fresh. Serve with yellow mustard.

Keep these cookies in airtight containers.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 days The USDA recommends cooking foie gras to an internal temperature of 160°F to be sure any harmful bacteria are killed. Though we prefer the results of chef Laurent Manrique's French method, we've included both options in the procedure.

You could also serve it on its own with crackers or bread, or offer it as a relish for grilled chicken or fish. It can be made with black olives as well as with green.

While this cake tastes delicious on its own, enhance it with dollops of whipped cream or nondairy topping and a few orange segments.

We used smoked bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) for this recipe, but you may substitute unsmoked bocconcini or smoked or unsmoked regular mozzarella, cut into slices and quartered.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Caffelatte is what Italians of all ages have for breakfast at home. For small children it is a cupful of warm milk lightly stained with coffee, the ratio of coffee to milk increasing with one's years. It is often accompanied by some store-bought biscuits, but not in my assistant Nadia's family. She lives on her father's farm outside Venice with her husband and small boy, and for her son Tommaso she bakes wholesome cakes with fresh fruit. He has some with his caffeelatte and takes another piece to school to eat for merenda, recess. I was particularly taken with the cake Nadia makes when there is no more summer fruit on the farm. She uses pears and apples and always adds a banana she buys in town. The proportions of one fruit to another may vary, and indeed Nadia says they always do, but nothing much can go wrong or affect the cake's plainspoken, engagingly fresh taste.