Bon Appétit

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

The oil-free dressing is delightfully tangy.

Serve Champagne to add an elegant, light touch to this terrific brunch menu.

A fresh and colorful accompaniment to simply poached salmon.

Start marinating the chicken four to six hours ahead. Pour frosty Pilsners or a chilled Chenin Blanc.

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

Pink grapefruit can be used if you can't find the blood oranges.

These sweet treats can be made two days in advance. Just store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

In the cuisine of Spain, a tortilla is an open-face omelet.

To impart smoky flavor to food when using an outdoor gas grill, add a handful of wood chips (soaked in cold water 30 minutes and drained) to a smoker box and place it under the grates and on top of ceramic briquettes in the far right or left corner of the grill.

Unlike their big brothers, baby artichokes are almost completely edible and require minimal preparation. For this first course, sautéing the artichokes instead of steaming adds good flavor. Some people don't like to have artichokes with wine because they can make the wine taste either metallic or strangely sweet. In Italy, though, artichokes and wine are usually served together. A crisp, steely Pinot Grigio does the trick.

A blend of cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon gives this dish its Moroccan flair.

Paulette Sexton of Tustin, California, writes: "Although I've loved to cook since I was a kid, I didn't really hone my kitchen skills until my husband and I started entertaining frequently. When we were first married, we had dinner parties several times a week — it got to the point where people would call me around 4:30 in the afternoon and ask, 'What's for dinner?' We're still having people over and we're still informal, especially in the summer. Everyone sits around the large island in our kitchen, drinking wine and eating appetizers. Usually there's grilled chicken or fish or a simple main-course salad for dinner. It's our favorite menu." Paulette likes to use chicken thighs because they stay so moist. Her barbecue sauce is also great on ribs.

Ruby Port in the juicy filling deepens the fruit flavors in this crisp. Top with vanilla ice cream or the ice cream from the Malted Milk Ice Cream Cake .

Two tricks to a more healthful egg salad: light mayonnaise and fewer egg yolks.