American

Pat: Broccoli in cornbread—who knew? But sometimes you need to go to great lengths, and be very crafty, to get your kids to eat more vegetables. The result in this instance is a moist, incredibly satisfying cornbread that gets added richness from both cottage and cheddar cheese. We call for frozen broccoli, which makes this recipe easy enough to whip together in the time it takes your oven to preheat. (You can also use 2 1/2 cups of fresh steamed broccoli.)

Pat: Our first taste of national recognition came in 1997, when our pork ribs were voted "the best ribs in Memphis" by the local media. After the votes were cast, the Today show came calling. Tony and I wound up being featured on a segment with Al Roker. Al's enthusiasm for our cooking made others take notice—it was a big moment. It's important to note that we did not become rib masters overnight. It took time to learn the appropriate techniques. Tender, slow-cooked spare ribs require a certain amount of skill and experience. We got ours, and now we are going to give you yours. Gina: All I can say about ribs is: Girl, get yourself a man that can grill and let him light it up!

Good for Slathering: Pork; chicken, turkey, duck; beef; lamb: It doesn't get any easier than this! And this mop is probably what 90 percent of the competition barbecuers use—with maybe a little beer mixed in for good measure!

Good for Slathering: Pork; beef; duck; ribs My students make this barbecue sauce every month in my Southern-barbecue classes. It is the only red sauce that we make in the class, and we always double the recipe because the class slathers it on everything! This sauce has been printed in many places and thousands of students have the recipe, but I couldn't write a sauce chapter and not include it here. The Dr. Pepper gives this sauce an edge over most basic sweet barbecue sauces.

Pat: When it comes to summertime in the South, fresh peaches rule. We put them in ice cream, pie, and cobbler. We pack them in mason jars and cover them with syrup. No getting around it: we have never met a peach-and-sugar dish that we didn’t like. When we were kids, Momma Daisy had several peach trees in her backyard. She’d give my brothers and me a big basket, and we would go out and pick them right off the tree. Next thing you knew, she was making cobbler—man, was that a treat. Needless to say, that was always a fun trip, and now we get to relive it by sharing her recipe with you.

Steamed Uku Laulau with Ginger-Scallion Sauce Laulau is the traditional Hawaiian method of wrapping salted fish in taro and ti leaves and then steaming it in the imu. Later, the method was used for salted pork. In this recipe, we get much the same effect using ti leaves in a steamer. Like other snappers, the delicate flesh of the uku is best steamed. The Chinese-style sauce gives the perfect finishing touch without overwhelming the subtle flavors of the fish.

These wee sandwich cakes, also known as Moon Pies, got their start in Pennsylvania Dutch country. They are known as whoopee pies because children exclaim, "Whoopee!" when the cakes are ready. Whole Foods sells Tiny Trapeze brand marshmallow cream, made with "no junkie stuff," as the container states.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from Gabrielle Carbone, coproprietor of The Bent Spoon ice cream parlor in Princeton, New Jersey. This pretty, striped cake can be assembled either from freshly made sorbet and ice cream or from leftovers. If you make the components fresh, it's helpful to have more than one freezer bowl for your ice cream maker or a self-freezing machine. If you don't, remember that some models demand that you freeze the bowl overnight between batches. You can make the batches on successive days, packing each flavor into the pan as it's done, then freezing the pan and the bowl until you're ready to make the next batch. Try to keep everything that you use in the preparation of this cake — even your cake stand or serving plate — cold. This will help the cake look better longer, especially on a hot day. The simple, fresh flavors of the sorbets and ice cream don't need much embellishment, but crushed Newman's Own Organic O's (the organic take on Oreos) or chopped candied ginger make a nice addition and help separate the layers.

Soundtrack: "Sankofa" by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Tony Allen from Allen Chop Up and "Sankofa" by Cassandra Wilson from Blue Light 'Til Dawn This recipe was the seed of Vegan Soul Kitchen... a brand new classic, if you will, dedicated to my home city in the mid-South—Memphis, Tennessee.

Ma'Dear, my maternal grandmother, would sun-brew gallon jars full of Sweet Goodness on sweltering hot summer days. Recollections of those containers full of cinnamon-colored tea sitting on her back porch bring back sweet memories of simpler days. This version will satisfy the snootiest of Sweet Tea connoisseurs (read: my mom) and won't give drinkers an insulin spike since it is sweetened with agave nectar.

While bean fritters are thought to have their origin in Nigeria, one can find them throughout West Africa. Inspired by the Black-Eyed Pea Fritters served at the Gambian-Cameroonian restaurant Bennachin in New Orleans, I whipped up this dish.

Soundtrack: "Hot Lava" by Kudu from Death of the Party This is my attempt to replicate the oh-so-slammin' hot sauce at the Senegalese restaurant Joloff, my favorite eatery in New York City. This version is only slightly hot, but if you really want that fire add one more habanero chile.

Where we come from, barbecue means a great sauce, like this one, and good old chicken, the mainstay of our family business.

Editor's Note: This recipe originally accompanied a story on Mother's Day. Tequila and beer make these slushy, orange-and lime-flavored drinks pack a Texas-size punch. They're just the thing on a blazing-hot summer night.

Try as we might, we couldn't find a substitute for mac and cheese—and we certainly weren't going to leave it off the list. This is the dish that will still be appearing on American tables hundreds of years from now. But mac and cheese in 2009 certainly doesn't look—or taste—the same as it did back in the day. The casserole keeps reflecting our changing tastes. We've seen versions made with every kind of pasta, lighter variations packed with veggies, and super-luxe options redolent of truffle oil. To make mac and cheese truly your own, get creative with the cheese. Here, we use a combination of two of the Netherlands' best-known cheeses: Gouda and Edam.

I am on a vanilla kick, and it can't be stopped. It should be noted that we are obsessed with malt, brewer's malt, malted milk balls, and the like. These milk shakes are so simple to make, and when we make them, people are always begging us for the secret ingredient. I suppose they aren't used to a malted milk shake anymore. So sad. Also, it makes me bonkers when people ask to use skim milk. It's just not as good, in my humble opinion.

The burger's undeniable appeal and infinite flexibility have inspired culinary luminaries like Bobby Flay and Laurent Tourondel to devote entire restaurants to the humble sandwich. And despite what purists might say, some of today’s best burgers aren't even made with beef. Patties made of lamb, bison, or seafood (like the crab burgers here) are increasingly popular. Toasted bread, a pita pocket, or even a lettuce leaf are fun standins for the traditional bun. In our homage to the modern burger, the crab patties are served open-face with a spicy red pepper dressing.

If you use commercial pork in this recipe, you might want to rub the chops with the salt mixture and let them sit for a full day in the fridge. The long rest will make the meat extra-juicy. Bone-in heirloom rib chops have ample marbling, so the meat will be naturally moist. They don’t need to rest as long with the salt rub—an hour or two should be sufficient. These are some big chops, so you might be able to share.