Dill

Here's a modern spin on blini, the buckwheat pancakes that are a classic for caviar. Also topping them with smoked salmon is a delightful way to gild the lily.

A creamy "comfort" soup that has plenty of richness without a lot of cream.

Use leftover poached or baked salmon. Canned red salmon that has been drained, skinned and boned also does the trick.

There are generally two kinds of wheat berries available at natural foods stores: hard (high-protein), which are reddish brown, and soft (low-protein), which are blond. We prefer the chewiness of the hard variety for this recipe. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A salad of baby greens and raspberry vinaigrette and some pencil-thin breadsticks go well with the pasta. End the dinner with orange sherbet, Swedish butter cookies and, perhaps, a shot of aquavit.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In this classic vegetable preparation, the cooking liquid is used to make the velvety sauce. The dish is normally served at room temperature, but it's equally good warm.

I particularly like this version of whitefish salad, because there is no filler in it. Mark, a political consultant who served in the Carter White House, makes it for break-the-fast as well as during the year brunches.

A versatile alternative to couscous, this is a summer starch that doesn't have to be served warm. If you have fresh or cooked leftover vegetables in the kitchen, toss them in to make a main-course salad. You can also play with the herbs to suit the dishes this will accompany.

Tangy and refreshing, this dip is called tzatziki in Greek. Here, it's served with crisp baked pita wedges, but it also goes well with crudités. Drain the yogurt a day before you plan to prepare the dip. And mix up a big batch of lemonade to pour throughout the picnic.

Spicy peperoncini peppers cut the creaminess of the sauce on this salmon. Serve Artichoke Bruschetta as a first course, rice and asparagus as side dishes.

Chlodnik Polish cooks serve this soup (pronounced "hu-WOHD-neek") as a cooling first course for summer meals. It's a delicious alternative to gazpacho.

We like to think of these as an American version of gougères.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min