Citrus

Here's our version of Barba Yianni's grilled lamb. The marinade works equally well with lamb chops, kebabs, or butterflied leg of lamb. You can also use it on pork or chicken. Skordalia is often made with mashed potatoes or bread soaked in water, but we feel the yogurt gives it more flavor. Skordalia is also good with grilled fish or chicken breasts.

A conserve usually consists of a mixture of fresh fruits, often with raisins, currants or nuts added. New England seafarers prized citrus fruits, which are perfect with native cranberries.

(MADELEINES) While researching this book, I became fixated, absolutely fanatical, about madeleines, the plump golden tea cakes shaped like scallop shells. They were something to boost my spirits on the days when I walked for miles sleuthing in search of culinary jewels. I tasted dozens of madeleines, but only a few were "just right." The best, freshest madeleine has a dry, almost dusty taste when eaten on its own. One of my favorite versions is made by André Lerch, an Alsatian baker with a bread and pastry shop on the Left Bank. To be truly appreciated — to "invade the senses with exquisite pleasure" as they did for Marcel Proust — Madeleines must be dipped in tea, ideally the slightly lime-flavoured tilleul, which releases the fragrant, flavorful lemon essence of the little tea cake. Special madeleine tins can be found in all the French restaurant supply shops and in the housewares section of department stores. The following is a recipe I developed.

Chef Lisa Ahier likes the flavor of Key limes or Mexican limes, which she can buy locally and year-round, for the marinade below. But even if you use regular lime juice, you'll love this chicken, which is as delicious at room temperature as it is hot. In fact, Gourmet's food editors couldn't get enough of it.

The small, sweet Meyer lemon, common in California backyards, has a thin, smooth skin and a juice interior and is particularly fragrant. These scones, which are lighter than most, will spread slightly during baking.

This sugar, used in the cookies and lime ice, is great to have on hand for sprinkling on cut fruit or to add a boost to iced tea. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

An easy do-ahead appetizer.

We're certain that this soup will become a staple in your summer repertoire. It's simple to make, low in fat, and tastes like freshness itself.

Serve this citrus-marinated steak with white rice and pinto beans tossed with butter and a marinated cabbage salad for an authentic Central American meal.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Frying the lime wedges gives them a pleasing golden color and enables the juice to squirt out with the slightest pressure.

This cake, bursting with berries, is perfect for a picnic. Dress it up for company with unsweetened whipped cream and a simple vanilla custard sauce.

"My wife and I had some great fish dishes at the Alpine Bistro in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, "says Sanford M. Skalka, New Providence, New Jersey. "I would like the recipe for the sesame-crusted tuna steak, which came with a flavorful Asian-style sauce."

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 25 hr

Quinoa, an ancient grain eaten by the Incas, is naturally coated with a bitter-tasting substance called saponin. But once the residue is rinsed away, you have a versatile, nutty-tasting grain that makes a fine alternative to rice and barley. For convenience, grill the bell peppers in this dish at the same time as the vegetables and beef for the main-course kebabs.

For a milder dish, use fewer Thai chiles and seed the serranos before mincing them. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

This cake was adapted by food editor Shelton Wiseman from a recipe published in our January 1945 issue.