5 Ingredients or Fewer

Smoked paprika is sold in the spice aisle of the supermarket.

Think of this as Mexican toast.

Brussels sprouts aren't the first ingredient anybody thinks of when they think of Italian food, but this salad takes a basic equation from the Italian kitchen—fresh vegetables, olive oil, and a little bit of Italian cheese—and makes the sprouts work in the context of the cuisine. It's also a healthier, fresher salad for the winter months.

The compote would also be great with angel food cake or sorbet.

This slaw is perfect as a side dish or added to a pulled-pork sandwich.

Ciao Bella has made this classic Italian flavor since the beginning, and it's the favorite of our president, Charlie Apt. Campari, invented in the 1860s by Gaspare Campari, is an alcoholic beverage made with a secret mixture of herbs and bark that gives it its characteristic bitter edge. Here that bitterness is intensified by the sharpness of the grapefruit, which makes this the quintessential palate cleanser; if you want to serve it as a dessert, increase the sugar to 2 cups. Campari's distinctive red color lends a beautiful gentle pink tone to the sorbetto. For a nonalcoholic grapefruit sorbetto, simply omit the Campari.

This is a great nonalcoholic mojito—a flavorful twist on the sugarcane and rum drink of old Havana.

If the cutlets are thicker than 1/3 inch, slip them into a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, and pound them with a mallet.

This grown-up dessert is perfect for a backyard bash.

Not to be confused with coconut milk, coconut water is the tart liquid found in the center of young coconuts.

Fresh ginger gives this a zesty kick.

This has to be one of the oldest porch drinks. My grandmother once told me it was the soft drink of her generation (that, and Coca-Cola, which, with a trace of cocaine in its early days, put a pep in her step). Shrubs make great use of fresh fruits—blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, you name it—and are kept in concentrate form, which, tightly covered, will keep in your refrigerator for a couple of weeks (just whisk it to incorporate the sugar "foam" that forms on top). Don't be alarmed by the vinegar; the sugar and water tone it down, leaving it most enjoyable. This could be made into a punch by pouring the shrub concentrate into a large bowl and adding 12 to 14 cups of water followed by ice cubes.

This makes an unexpected drink to serve porch-side visitors. With its beautiful color and sweet-tart cranberrylike flavor, guests will want to know where you had to go to find hibiscus pods, how interesting (and easy) it was to make, and talk about the sheer fact that hibiscus is edible. Be aware that with its deep red coloring, you shouldn't use a light-colored tablecloth.

Sweet tea never tasted so good—especially for those bent on unwinding after a long workweek. Try it with a lunch of fried chicken and deviled eggs and see if you don't agree.

The tangy Teleme cheese is great with the sweet figs and the honey. Making the bruschetta on the grill will free up the oven.

This simple dessert is completed in the freezer—no ice cream maker required. Feel free to use your favorite red wine in this recipe, but keep in mind that a lighter-style wine (like Beaujolais) will really let the strawberries shine. If you choose a deeper red, such as Merlot or Zinfandel, the strawberry flavor will be less pronounced.

His name is Kumahachi Moreno and he's one of the most famous television chefs in Japan. He showed up at my door one July 4th weekend bearing a bag of Japanese "mystery" ingredients for me to grill. My efforts would be videotaped and the results shown on Japanese television. Seemed like a good idea, but when Moreno opened his bag, out came gobo (burdock root), natto (fermented soybeans), uncooked cod roe, and flat painted cans of azuki (sweet red bean) paste. Decidedly not what most Americans are accustomed to grilling. I sliced the cod roe over freshly-shucked oysters, which I roasted on a wood-burning grill. The burdock went on bamboo skewers with scallions to be grilled yakitori style on a hibachi. The natto went on tortillas with jalapeños and grated cheddar to make grilled quesadillas. I spooned the azuki paste into hollowed out apples—Fujis, no less—and topped them with cream cheese, brown sugar, and butter to be smoke-roasted over applewood in a kettle grill. I held my breath and hoped for the best. Mr. Moreno and his Japanese film crew had never seen the likes of the meal that followed. The oysters came out great, served with wasabi-flavored whipped cream. The film crew ate the natto-stuffed quesadillas with gusto. A mouthful of the fibrous burdock root taught me why burdock is never grilled in Japan. The red bean paste–stuffed apples—the outside tender and smoky, the filling both piquant and sweet—promopted high-fives all around—definitely a first on both sides of the Pacific.