Blender

Salsa de Chile Serrano Frito Serrano chiles give this Mexican sauce its bite and light green color. Use it on warm tortillas or grilled meats.

"My girlfriend and I had our first date at The Bridge Café in Westport, Connecticut," writes Terrel Korik of St. Louis, Missouri. "We both enjoyed the corn and basil soup while looking out over the Saugatuck River. I would love to have the soup recipe to try at our new home in St. Louis."

A persillade is a mixture of chopped parsley - persil in French - and garlic that is added to dishes as a flavoring or garnish.

Truffle oil adds earthy nuances to this summer soup, but don't worry if you don't have any on hand: The soup will still be good without it. Open a nice bottle of Champagne to go with the meal.

This pretty and refreshing soup - flavored with curry, cumin, ginger and garlic-is quick to prepare: Just put everything in the blender and puree it.

A low-fat version of the Mexican soup.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.but requires additional unattended time. In the following recipe, the lettuce leaves may be wrapped loosely in paper towels and kept chilled in a plastic bag until you are ready to assemble the cones.

This fruit leather makes a satisfying energy snack and is delicious in place of chutney on a sandwich (we loved it in a ham and cheese wrap). For an easy hors d'oeuvre, spread 4 tablespoons softened mild goat cheese onto an 8-inch square of leather. Sprinkle the cheese with 1 tablespoon chopped pistachios and tightly roll up leather into a log. Chill the log and slice it into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.

Zabaglione is the Italian version of the foamy, custardy sauce known as sabayon in France. I found that freezing it for this dessert gave it a texture much like that of ice cream. For an extra-pretty presentation, garnish this with fresh raspberries, orange segments, mint leaves and additional sliced, toasted almonds.