5 Ingredients or Fewer

This sorbet has summer in every bite. Be sure to use very ripe apricots, and don't neglect the lemon juice. The sorbet is best eaten right after it is made.

Vinegar adds some pleasant zip to this side dish, which gets its richness from the sautéed bacon and onions. Serve the kale with roast pork or chicken.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Water, rather than oil, serves as the counterpoint to vinegar in this rich and savory dressing, which is wonderful spooned over shredded Napa cabbage or cooked fish or cauliflower, or tossed with boiled sliced potatoes.

Whether you pick blossoms from your garden or buy them at the farmers market, choose male flowers. The males — which don't produce a vegetable but exist to pollinate the females — are recognizable by their long, straight stems and the unmistakably male-looking stamen in the center of each blossom. Females swell at the base of the blossom, where the squash forms, and four little shoots make up the pistil inside. Some chefs like to fry female blossoms when the baby zucchini is just emerging and still attached, but Mexican and Italian purists wouldn't hear of it. Other chefs like to remove the stamen of the male flowers, but it isn't necessary.

An easy-to-make infused oil makes a big difference in the taste of these potatoes.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These mashed potatoes are a great accompaniment to the bass fillets with mushrooms and the shrimp and endive. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 40 min

Buffalo meat can be very red, even when cooked to medium-rare. Don't be alarmed — this is a naturally occurring phenomenon that has to do with the animal's diet and how little fat is marbled through the muscle. While testing this recipe, we learned that buffalo meat varies in quality; the purveyors whose meat we like best are Wild Idea Buffalo Company (866-658-6137; wildideabuffalo.com), Jackson Hole Buffalo Meat Company (800-543-6328; jhbuffalomeat.com), Arrowhead Buffalo Meats (877-283-2969; arrowheadsteaks.com), and D'Artagnan (800-327-8246; dartagnan.com). Before you begin roasting your buffalo, roughly calculate the total roasting time: Plan on about 16 minutes per pound once the oven temperature is reduced to 350°F (20 minutes per pound for beef), but start checking the temperature of either type of roast about 30 minutes before you think it will be done. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 5 1/4 hr (4 3/4 hr for beef)

A colorful dish with fresh — and surprisingly compatible — flavors.

Probably named for the Russian royal family, this dish gained popularity at San Francisco's Palace Hotel.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 3 hr

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Unlike sauces from Texas and Kansas City, this sauce from South Carolina's Piedmont area is thin and vinegary. Note that it is not cooked. To tone down the tartness, add more ketchup and brown sugar to taste.

Bake these potatoes in the oven along with the Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Strata .

This bright, piquant sauce is also delicious spooned over sautéed chicken, fish, or steak. This recipe is an accompaniment for Cheese- and Shrimp-Stuffed Roasted Poblanos with Red Bell Pepper Sauce.

These supremely easy, wonderfully spicy potatoes are delicious with Panfried Pork Chops with Pomegranate and Fennel Salsa.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Puree .