No-Cook

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein's book, Raw.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein's book, Raw.

This is really a fun dessert. Form this into a mold and serve it with a cookie on the side. If you don't have time to prepare the mango sorbet, Häagen-Dazs makes a good one, and believe me, your friends will have just as much fun. The good news is that you can make this ahead of time. I serve it with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein's book, Raw.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Joan Nathan's book The Foods of Israel Today. Nathan also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Nathan and Israeli cuisine, click here. Sometimes called Turkish Salad, this typical Israeli salad, served at almost every meal, has many variations. But one thing remains the same: the tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cucumbers must be cut into tiny pieces, a practice of the Ottoman Empire. Two types of cucumber are common in Israel: one, like the Kirby cucumber, goes by the name of melafofon in Hebrew and khiyar in Arabic; the other, called fakus in Arabic, is thinner, longer, and fuzzy, and is eaten without peeling.

Chimichurri This recipe is excerpted from Shirley Lomax Brooks's book Argentina Cooks! We've also added some tips of our own below. Chimichurri is an absolute requirement for the famous Argentine asado or barbecue. The recipe for chimichurri that follows is only one of many, but it is typical of those you will find in the Pampas. Some locals use it as a salad dressing as well. And don't limit your chimichurri to asado; serve it with any broiled or roasted meat or poultry.

In winter we use a variety of greens and winter vegetables to make interesting salads that taste fresh, refresh our palates, and aren't trying to reproduce the delicate leafy greens of the summer.

A panachée is a mixture of two or more ingredients with different colors, flavors, or shapes. For this one, I mix fruits and fruit puree with cookies and cream. It takes only a few minutes to prepare and almost any berries will work. I like to serve these desserts in shallow glass bowls or goblets. Although any cookies will do, I prefer to use Scottish shortbread cookies in this dessert.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from David Bouley, Mario Lohninger, and Melissa Clark's book East of Paris: The New Cuisines of Austria and the Danube. Lohninger also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Lohninger and Austrian cooking, click here. David Bouley: Mario and I wanted to put fresh herring on the menu, but we couldn't find a consistent source for the best product from the North Sea. So we came up with this dish using mackerel, an underused fish in this country. When you marinate the raw mackerel, it becomes very mellow in flavor. It's a clean-tasting fish, not a bit "fishy" or strong. We marinate the mackerel in Bibb lettuce and cucumber juices, then mix it with beet and apple for sweetness and a little crunch. It's both light and refreshing.

(Uborkasalata) With little or no refrigeration and often only impure water available until the twentieth century, ordinary people did not risk eating fresh vegetables that couldn't be peeled or shelled. Cucumber, beet, or cabbage salads were about the only ones used in Eastern Europe, and cooked salads featuring eggplant or broiled peppers were served in many Mediterranean countries. Lettuce, the base of most crisp salads we eat today, had to be cleaned in sterilized water and eaten immediately.

Happily, we found that the only word which rhymes with Clicquot was a tasty white rum.

This festive arrangement was inspired by the popular holiday wreaths decorated with fruits. They take their name from Luca Della Robbia, the 15th-century Florentine sculptor known for crafting lifelike garlands of leaves and fruits.

Begin the morning with the beautiful, festive (and easy) drinks.

Fill a glass pitcher or punch bowl with this fun, fruity wine-based aperitif.

Since many commercial brands of puff pastry contain shortening, not butter, it's worth the effort to make this rich, flaky version at home. Don't be intimidated by the preparation; it's really just tiny bits of work divided up over time. This recipe is an accompaniment for Beef and Guinness Pies .

This recipe is an accompaniment for Potato, Pepper, and Chorizo Empanadas .

This dough is based on one from Chris Bianco, chef of Pizzeria Bianco, that ran in our October 1999 issue. It is an accompaniment for Eggplant, Tomato, and Fontina Pizza .

This classic pastry dough works well for both savory and sweet pies.