Bon Appétit

Try serving the jam with goat cheese, pistachios, and m&âche.

Serve this hearty entrée with boiled potatoes and steamed carrots.

These deep-fried rice balls hail from Sicily. Arancine are often made with leftover risotto, but this recipe calls for freshly made risotto. A piece of cheese is tucked into the rice mixture, then the rice balls are breaded and fried until golden.

The stew is perked up with an Italian-style salsa verde, a mixture of chopped fresh herbs and olive oil. Have the bass filleted at the fish counter. You'll need the bones, skin, and head to make the stock, so be sure to request that those parts be saved for you. You may want to consider toasting more bread to sop up all the flavorful broth.

A lovely combination of contrasting tastes: bitter greens, salty-smoky bacon, tangy goat cheese, and sweet shallots.

Ted Reader likes to marinate the roast in a coffee porter (a dark beer that's flavored with coffee or with dark malts and highly roasted barley) or a similar beer with body, such as Guinness or a honey brown lager. What to drink: Wyndham Estate 2003 Shiraz, Bin 555, South Eastern Australia ($10).

Tender, inexpensive sirloin flap steak—another name for the "tails" of porterhouses and T-bones—is ideal for kebabs. It's well marbled (the fat adds flavor on the grill), and its long, narrow shape makes it easy to cut into cubes. Robust and beefy on its own, flap steak tastes even better after being marinated in a paste of olive oil, cumin, coriander, and fresh oregano.

This dessert is fantastic served with ripe summer berries. To further refine it, try mixing the fruit with a little rosewater and sugar.

The ideal summer dinner—without the labor required for the traditional Spanish version.

Why reserve cedar planks for the grill? They work just as well in the oven.

Feel free to use leftover rice from last night's takeout. The secret to good fried rice is starting with cold cooked grains.

This frozen dessert has the creamy texture of softened ice cream—but doesn't require an ice cream maker.

Halloumi is a pleasantly salty Greek cheese that grills well.

These are equally delicious hot off the grill or cold the next day.

A simple Moroccan-spiced aioli is mixed in with the ground turkey to keep the burgers moist and give them tons of flavor. Smoked paprika is available in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.

Adding grated orange peel amps up the melon's flavor, and layering whipped cream with the icy granita makes for an intriguing contrast of both texture and temperature.

Serve with ice-cold beer and your favorite slaw. Put out artisanal cheese and fresh fruit for dessert.

This rustic take on a peach crumble couldn't be easier: Halved peaches are topped with a quick mixture that includes amaretti, almonds, butter, flour, and sugar. The crunchy topping is a nice contrast to the warm, tender peaches.

This fun assortment of flavorful nibbles is ideal for summer entertaining. End the meal with frozen yogurt or a fruit salad of halved fresh cherries and pieces of watermelon.