Susan Spungen

This sweet and salty nut-and-seed brittle will send granola packing. Serve for breakfast or as a simple dessert.

This pasta salad is a clever take on a well-loved soup. Because it's served at room temperature, it makes a great side dish at a picnic or barbecue. It's colorful and extremely flavorful, with pesto, beans, and vegetables.

This is a great technique if you want to serve a mixture of vegetables, like a stir-fry, with your grilled meat or fish. Start the vegetables 10 to 15 minutes before you grill your main course, so that they can get a head start. Move them to a cooler part of the grill to keep warm once they’re done. Grill baskets of all shapes and sizes are available in grocery stores or cooking shops.

Throw a pouch filled with clams on the grill when the fire's hot, and enjoy them while you cook the rest of the meal. Timing can vary a bit, depending on the size and stubbornness of the clams and the heat of the fire. You can tell if the shells have opened by feeling the top of the package with tongs or a spatula. If you open the package and see that some clams have not opened, reseal and return to the fire for a few minutes. If there are a few duds that refuse to open after 15 minutes or so, discard them.

A dollop of yogurt keeps these pops from being too icy, and we love the way the ginger adds a little spice.

If you have a metal baking pan, use it; it will chill the mixture faster than a glass one. And remove the granita from the freezer when you scrape it--too much cold air will escape if you do this while the door's hanging open.

When folding the plum purée into the semifreddo base, don't overdo it. The mixture will continue to blend when you transfer it to the pan. There should be large ribbons of purée visible; that's how this dessert gets its marbled look.

Aperol is similar to Campari but sweeter and less boozy. This recipe works with either one.

For the record: Sherbets may contain some dairy, unlike sorbets, which do not.

Think of this Dutch baby recipe as one gigantic, stress-free pancake.

This gorgeous-looking salad, featuring Tuscan kale and brussels sprouts, is a bright alternative to more heavy sides.

Citrus brightens up the flavor of this glazed carrots recipe. Learn how to make this recipe and more in our online cooking class with Sur la Table.