American

In the South, you'll usually find this delicate spread — not a smooth paste, but slightly textured, to play up the flavor of the shrimp — on "benne wafers" (sesame-seed crackers). Spooned onto buttery toast points, it makes for tiny little bites with big sea flavor.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen by Walter Scheib and Andrew Friedman. This is the snack mix President Bush brought with him from the Texas Governor's mansion. It's a Texas twist on an old American favorite, and we had to have it on hand at all times. In addition to eating it at the White House, the President never traveled without it.

Since the beans need to soak overnight, be sure to begin one day ahead. Spicy Italian sausage is a good substitute for the chorizo.

Florence Myers of Gainesville, Missouri, writes: "In the late 1950s and early 1960s I was a counselor at an all-girls summer camp in New Hampshire. When we went on long hikes in the mountains, the camp cook, Peggy Ward, would pack up plenty of her wonderful ginger cookies. I've passed that cookie recipe on to many people, including my granddaughter. She tells me that every time she makes the cookies people ask her for the recipe." Old-fashioned flavor in a super-easy cookie.

These cookies, a twist on traditional snowballs, are just the thing to enjoy with a spot of tea.

A tisane is a tea-like aromatic infusion; this one is a lovely partner to the cheesecake.

Give your meals a spicy kick.

The tubers of a North American sunflower, Jerusalem artichokes (also labeled "sunchokes") are available in the produce section of many supermarkets.

Be sure the lamb is trimmed; otherwise, ask the butcher to do it for you.

Improv: Thai green curry paste would be great in place of the wasabi. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more to taste. Finish the sauce by stirring in a little chopped fresh cilantro.

Skate is a firm, white, sweet fish. Quite common on the East Coast, it's now more readily available in the West.

Cara Brunetti Hillyard of Hamilton, Virginia, writes: "I come from a long line of great cooks. My father owns an Italian market in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where my mother gets a lot of the ingredients she uses in her wonderful dishes. My mother-in-law is a recipe developer, and I've been known to sit next to my great-aunt Stella with a pen and paper as she details her amazing recipes. I live far from home now, but I reconnect with my family traditions every evening when I make dinner."

Cara Brunetti Hillyard of Hamilton, Virginia, writes: "I come from a long line of great cooks. My father owns an Italian market in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where my mother gets a lot of the ingredients she uses in her wonderful dishes. My mother-in-law is a recipe developer, and I've been known to sit next to my great-aunt Stella with a pen and paper as she details her amazing recipes. I live far from home now, but I reconnect with my family traditions every evening when I make dinner." Pureeing the soup gives it a smooth richness — without any cream.