Cheese

Unlike most tamal recipes, which use dried corn (masa harina), this one is Cuban-style, made with fresh corn kernels. I've also added a different touch by replacing the traditional pork filling with conch. The flavor and texture proved very popular at Yuca, and it remained on the menu as a fixture. These tamales are very convenient for entertaining. They can be made ahead of time and frozen, or kept in the refrigerator and then popped in the microwave. In fact, it's not worth making a smaller batch, so you'll probably want to freeze some of them. Likewise, the pesto can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated.

Elote Asado Out on a walk in practically any Mexican town, who can pass up the always-present fresh ears of chewy field corn, turning and crisping over the coals? Who isn't attracted to the smoky-smelling, pit-roasted ears (pibinales) when they're poured from gunnysacks in Yucatan? And who doesn't like the fried corn kernels with epazote and chiles in Toluca (esquites), or the ones served from big boiling cazuelas in the capital's Alameda Park, or the ones topped with cream, powdered chile and cheese in the northeastern states? Our sweet corn isn't the same to me, boiled and buttered and served as a summertime vegetable. It lacks a little backbone. So when I'm having it, I usually give it a taste of an open fire, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkling of hot powdered chile…or the lavish spread of butter, cream and cheese of this recipe. Serve it anytime you're grilling, and you'll please practically everyone.

Romanesco cauliflower — with its cone-shaped florets — has a more subtle, nuanced flavor than traditional varieties. The size of Romanesco cauliflower can vary widely, so we call for weight in this recipe rather than number of heads.

A delicious and much lighter version of a favorite dish. Serve this gratin with roast chicken, pork, or beef.

This soup stands on its own as a main course when paired with a green salad and some crusty bread.

A cross between spoon bread and tamale pie, this flavorful, colorful side dish is a huge crowd-pleaser. Assemble it at least one hour and up to one day before baking.

If you can't get cotija cheese, you can substitute feta — it's stronger in flavor and a bit saltier than cotija, but it works fine. Archibald also makes a version of this salad topped with shavings of Manchego cheese.

The myzithra cheese often used to stuff zucchini blossoms in Greece comes in two forms: soft (like fresh ricotta) and dried salted (similar to ricotta salata). We wanted to combine the soft and the salted in this recipe, but because the soft variety turned out to be especially difficult to find, we substituted fresh ricotta with very good results. We've also given ricotta salata as an alternative for the salted myzithra.

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

This lovely dessert must be chilled at least two hours (or up to one day) before serving.

(Cebollas Fritas) These egg-battered onions have a sweetness that marries well with rich dishes such as Churrasco de Sao Paulo a la Parilla .

The perfect picnic sandwich for summer.

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr (includes making pastry shell)

Prosciutto is more familiar in this type of appetizer, but bresaola, beef fillet cured in a similar fashion, gives it a fresh interpretation. When paired with golden Spanish Manchego, the combination is deliciously bold in flavor.

A great way to make a different and light meal with leftover lamb.

An easy substitute for the mascarpone, a soft Italian cream cheese, is 12 ounces cream cheese blended with six tablespoons whipping cream and 1/4 cup sour cream.

These are equally good with either ground pork or ground lamb.