No-Cook

This tahini-based sauce serves as the foundation for mezes like hummus and baba ghanouj throughout much of the Mediterranean, but it's also a wonderful sauce in its own right, showing its versatility by adding a nutty, lemony hit to the kùfte or to vegetables or fish.

This finely chopped slaw has just the right balance of sweet and tart. It goes on top of the pulled pork, not alongside it.

You would be hard-pressed to find something more refreshing than watermelon. This cooler is easy to make, beautiful to behold, and not too sweet. You'll want a pitcher of it in the refrigerator all summer.

A quick buzz in the blender and this creamy, fruity dessert is practically done. Just add juicy summer blueberries and a sprinkling of lime zest and you've got a beautiful finish you'll return to again and again.

Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City, developed this adaptation of a classic cocktail. Reposado tequila, aged in oak for at least two months but less than a year, gives the drink a smooth smokiness. If you prefer a more vegetal flavor, you could substitute blanco (unaged) tequila; it's probably best to steer clear of añejo (aged in oak for at least a year but less than three years), which could darken the hue and add unwanted oak, vanilla, or caramel flavors. To sweeten his Margarita, Freeman trades the traditional sugar syrup for superfine sugar, which gives the drink a slightly grainy texture. Freeman's final signature touch: Only half the glass gets a salted rim.

Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City, developed this adaptation of the classic rum-lime-sugar cocktail.

This type of chopped salad was once common breakfast fare in Israel.

This refreshing soup makes a great first course for a summer dinner party.

For a sweeter take on this cool spa drink, add 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar or agave nectar, available at Whole Foods, other natural foods stores, and at wildorganics.net.

Editor's note: To read more about Raichlen and barbecue, go to our feature The Best Barbecue in the U.S.A. ** This is coleslaw at its simplest and best. No onions. No carrots. No peppers. No mayonnaise. Just cabbage and peppery barbecue sauce. **

Editor's note: To read more about Raichlen and barbecue, go to our feature The Best Barbecue in the U.S.A. ** Peppery and piquant, this vinegar sauce is the preferred condiment of eastern North Carolina. In the western part of the state, the sauce becomes more tomatoey, while in southern parts of the Carolinas, mustard sauce reigns supreme. **

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Perfect Parties by Linnea Johansson.

Serve this yogurt-based Greek staple as a first-course accompaniment to pitas and other breads, or as a light but creamy sauce drizzled over spiced roasted meats.

Ruggiero couldn't figure out what made the salad dressing at New York's Natori so irresistible and was shocked when she finally got the secret ingredient out of the sushi chef: grated apple. Nor would you ever guess it from a bite of this dressing, since it's not at all sweet or fruity, just perfectly balanced and lip-smackingly delicious. Its slight pulp extends the unctuous richness of avocado and complements the clean assertiveness of watercress.

Even the gastronomic wizard who invented this recipe calls the name gimmicky, but who cares? The clever technique of using both a seltzer charge and a cream charge gives you a foamy, snow-white dessert with an almost ethereal lightness.

Editor's note: The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com. This coleslaw originally accompanied Karmel's recipe for North Carolina Style Pulled Pork.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com. The addition of ketchup in this slightly sweeter vinegar sauce distinguishes it from simpler Eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce. I prefer this sauce not only because I grew up with it—I like the added flavor and the pink color that the ketchup gives the sauce. To turn this sauce into an Eastern sauce, add 1 cup of water and eliminate the brown sugar and ketchup. This sauce is used to make North Carolina Style Pulled Pork and North Carolina Coleslaw . You will need to double this recipe to sauce both the meat and the slaw.