Simple Cooking

We used a combination of French breakfast, white icicle, and pink beauty radishes, but you can use any variety you’d like. When the weather is hot, sprinkle radishes with crushed ice before serving to keep them crisp.

This recipe is courtesy of Donald Barickman; it was created with and named for his father, Elwood.

The red skins of the pears are a colorful accent to these simple tea sandwiches. Use the Roquefort butter in other combinations, such as with watercress or thinly sliced tomato.

To make perfectly round sandwiches, cut each of the layers separately with the same biscuit cutter. Ask your butcher to slice the prosciutto more thickly than usual so it can be cut easily without tearing; you will need 1 round for each sandwich.

Serve this quick appetizer with a hearty brown bread.

This is a great dish to serve at an informal lunch or dinner party. Set out all the ingredients, and let your guests assemble their own bundles. Store-bought roasted duck or chicken can be used; skip step 2.

These crackers use powder made from dried mushrooms ground with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder.

Cheese drizzled with honey is a traditional Mediterranean appetizer; when mixed with fruit and nuts, it makes a tantalizing dessert.