Papaya

Subscribing to the theory that epicurean cooking should, ideally, be easy and inexpensive, I submit this recipe, which I obtained during the summer I taught school on Guam. It's for a dressing of mine that is excellent on fruit salads and even makes an outstanding dressing for coleslaw as part of a summer picnic. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Simply omit the ginger for a classic crème brûlée. A small blowtorch (made for the kitchen) is a useful gadget for caramelizing the sugar topping. You can also broil the custards until the sugar turns dark brown.

There is no oil in this most original salad.

The word chutney comes from the Hindustani chatni, which means "strong spices." The sweet juiciness of golden pineapples — much more intensely flavored than ordinary pineapples — balances the spices with the lusciousness that only tropical foods possess. But you can substitute regular pineapple if you cannot find the golden variety, and the chutney will still be complementary. Serve it with Jerked Pork Chops or any grilled meat.

Anywhere you go in Laos, you will find women patiently preparing papaya for this salad. Using a small machete-like knife, they make repeated shallow parallel cuts, each about 1/8 inch deep, in a section of the papaya. Then they scrape the papaya from top to bottom so they end up with very nice julienne. A food processor fitted with the julienne disk or a manual slicer such as a mandoline works equally well.

At the Princeville Hotel on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, a mixture of dried and fresh fruits is used to fill the pork. Begin preparing this dish one day before serving.

This recipe was created to accompany <epi:recipeLink id "11847">Grilled Teriyaki Pork Chops with Pineapple Papaya Relish</epi:recipeLink>.</a> Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

At the ranch, Lisa Ahier makes this salsa with and without avocado. At Gourmet, we liked it with.

Wonton wrappers are used for these samosas instead of traditional pastry dough. Betelnut Pejiu Wu in San Francisco serves them with a tropical chutney.

Light, refreshing and very sophisticated. Asian pears have a crisp texture, a round shape, and a sweet and floral aroma that's quite unlike that of the more familiar buttery "pear-shaped" pear.

Similar in texture to lemon bars, these have a shortbread cookie base and a delightful tropical fruit filling.

(Batido) This milk shake is a Puerto Rican and Cuban favorite; Palacio de Los Jugos on Flagler Street in Miami specializes in jugos and makes great tropical-fruit batidos. The fruit combinations are endless — try a mixture of strawberry and kiwi or guava and pineapple — and you can even use coconut milk instead of whole and spike with a shot of rum.

The recipe for the coconut pudding is adapted from Mexican Light Cooking by Santa Fe-based chef Kathi Long.

These versatile quesadilla can be passed as hors d'oeuvres, or offered at dinner as a first course or at lunch as the entrée.