American

Offer crusty bread to dip into the wonderful broth. What to drink: A crisp, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc from California or ice-cold pale ale.

Although fresh dark sweet cherries are available in June, we believe they're best eaten out of hand. This cobbler makes great use of frozen cherries. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Serve with: Yellow rice pilaf mixed with baby peas, and buttered steamed spinach.

This cake, thought to have first appeared in the 1920s, has had such names as pineapple glacé and pineapple skillet cake.

Hash browns are deceptively simple. Most people can turn out a so-so version. Loftier ambitions, however, will be rewarded by following this recipe precisely.

The chef uses Georgia quail in this dish; chicken works well and is easier to buy.

The use of leavening in a cake is first recorded in a recipe for gingerbread from Amelia Simmons's American Cookery, published in Hartford in 1796; I guess you could say it is the original great American cake. Early-19th-century cookbooks included as many recipes for this as contemporary cookbooks do for chocolate cake. This recipe, from Claudia Fleming, pastry chef at New York City's Gramercy Tavern, is superlative—wonderfully moist and spicy.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Cabbage Slaw .

Named for the "muddy" Mississippi River, this is a dark and rich chocolate cake.

These cakes are actually better made ahead. They become richer and fudgier one to two days after baking.

"There's a terrific place called Grand Central Cafe and Bakery in Portland, Oregon. I tried their Jammers, which are luscious buttermilk biscuits filled with jam," says Lori Stiffler of Butte, Montana. These home-style biscuits look like giant thumbprint cookies. Freezing the dry ingredients contributes to the biscuits' flakiness.

Marinate the tri-tip for at least two hours.

Begin making these one day ahead. The dough is much easier to roll out when chilled, and the buns hold their shape better when formed with cold dough.

Top the grown-ups' burgers with the caramelized onions with barbecue sauce and be sure to have mayonnaise and mustard on hand. Serve corn on the cob and the baked potato wedges to the whole crowd.

For variety, sprinkle berries, nuts or chocolate chips over the pancakes before turning them over on the griddle.

This delicious dessert uses the Easy Pie Crust .