5 Ingredients or Fewer

The light custard is quick to make, but it has to be prepared just before it's served.

Here's a secret to sweeten your summer. This syrup is easy to make, and because the sugar is dissolved, it blends easily in Margaritas and other cocktails. Try it in iced tea and lemonade, too.

Look for deveined shrimp still in the shell at the seafood counter or in the frozen foods section of the market. If you like, marinate the chicken and shrimp for an hour at room temperature or two hours in the fridge, turning skewers occasionally.

Pink peppercorns and peppercorn mélange (a mixture of black, pink, green, and white peppercorns) are available at many supermarkets.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Bikini Bootcamp: Two Weeks to Your Ultimate Beach Body, by Melissa Perlman and Erica Gragg. This yummy dressing is a favorite at Bikini Bootcamp. Try it over salads, fish, and vegetables. You can dilute with water to your liking.

We tried making this oil with Sichuan peppercorns that were not ground but found eating them whole just too numbing. Like the red-chile oil above, it's the perfect thing for adding a final blitz of flavor.

We like to make up a batch of this oil and keep it on hand for seasoning Asian dishes just before serving.

Removing the bones from salmon steaks is surprisingly easy, and you'll get filletlike quality at a lower price. Here, we've grilled the steaks to intensify their flavor, and paired them with the sharp bite of horseradish.

On a recent visit to London, Knauer overheard a local in a pub ordering a "Guinness and Black" — which turned out to be the famous Irish stout plus a shot of blackberry brandy. That combination is also the genius behind these floats; the brandy's luscious fruitiness bridges the gap between the sweet ice cream and bitter beer.

Grilled and then tossed with a simple mustard vinaigrette, these vegetables turn tender and juicy, providing an ideal foil for the hearty grilled steaks.

Wishy-washy greens needn't apply: A gorgeously balanced symphony of peppery and bitter greens, cut with a lemony vinaigrette that makes the feta go creamy, and an occasional pop of sticky, sweet date, this is sure to become your go-to salad all summer long.

The way cinnamon expands the dimensions of brown butter means that you won't overtly taste the spice here, just pasta with deep, rich, nutty undertones. Chopped parsley freshens every bite.

Radishes, when roasted, lose their bite and perfectly complement the mellow sweetness of cooked zucchini.

There are plenty of steak-and-onion salads, but none with a dressing like this one. Worcestershire sauce has just enough acid to balance the vinaigrette's oil.