Herbs & Spices

Once you've tried ice cream made with fresh mint leaves — a far cry from the neon-green stuff — you'll never go back. Here, it's enclosed in a thick robe of rich bittersweet chocolate.

Heady lemon verbena lends an herbal, floral note to our summer pudding. Be sure to save this recipe for when you've found fresh verbena — dried just won't be the same.

Those abstaining from the cocktails will appreciate this equally refreshing use of basil and lemon, two flavors that pair beautifully.

This recipe makes enough for several batches of the vodka gimlets or lemonade; any left over would also give a nice hit of flavor to a glass of iced tea.

This fragrant twist on the gimlet cocktail gets its clean green notes not from lime juice but from fresh basil. For extra glamour and aroma, tuck small sprigs of additional basil into each glass.

Can your local deli counter inspire a cool Vietnamese-style meal? Definitely. Here, roast beef, already cooked to medium-rare (perfection, in our opinion), is a main player.

Catfish stays tender and moist when baked in a crunchy crust of bread crumbs and cornmeal. A take on traditional New Orleans rémoulade adds a piquant punch.

Serving flank steak (a favorite for the grill) Korean style is always a hit — guests make lettuce-leaf bundles with rice and thin slices of the meat and do the garnishing on their own.

Tossing the potatoes first with salt and vinegar and then with bacon fat while they're still warm allows the flavors to really penetrate. Chopped chives add a delicate oniony scent.

As in the classic recipe from Richard Olney's Simple French Food that inspired this one, two key innovations ensure a moist, incredibly succulent chicken. First, the birds are spatchcocked, meaning they're butterflied and spread flat so that both the white meat and the dark can be perfectly cooked; second, an herbed-ricotta filling is pushed under the skin, puffing slightly during cooking and extending the meat's flavor in a creamy direction. Actually, you'll notice how much we liked the filling — we call for extra to be baked in a separate dish so that everyone gets a helping. The filling becomes a cross between a popover and a soufflé in texture, with oregano and parsley supplying a suggestion of the Provençal countryside.

We're convinced that red trout is well worth looking for. We love its firm texture, its delicate flavor, and its gorgeous pink flesh, which here contrasts beautifully with the green pesto—an all-purpose sauce that would taste great with just about any type of fish or pasta.

The classic cold soup seems almost restrained next to this lusty dish — gazpacho ingredients are grilled, then tossed with pasta and cheese (some of the vegetables are puréed to make a tangy sauce that lightly cloaks the whole). The sausages are cooked separately, so this recipe will come in handy when there are vegetarians around.

These chewy oatmeal cookies are spicy with ginger and not too sweet. Look for candied ginger that's cut into cubes and is not dusted with sugar — it'll be more tender and easier to chop.

Be sure to start this recipe at least 1 1/2 hours ahead so the components have time to cool. Mix up the syrup and chill it until it's cold. Cut the melons into wedges and refrigerate them in plastic containers. Then, just before you leave, chop the mint and stir it into the syrup, then drizzle the syrup over the fruit.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Dinner After Dark: Sexy, Sumptuous Supper Soirées by Colin Cowie. This is the most basic tomato salad, given the Southeast Asian and Indian name for pickles or side dishes. It is simple to prepare, relies on the best fresh ingredients, and serves as a wonderful garnish or refresher alongside the Tomato Lamb Bredie and in addition to chutney.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Dinner After Dark: Sexy, Sumptuous Supper Soirées by Colin Cowie. A bredie is the typical slow-cooked stew of Cape Malay cuisine, which is best prepared in a heavy-bottom cast-iron pot or potjie. I've adapted it in a recipe that takes just over an hour to cook. Traditionally, this type of dish would probably have been made with just the lamb knuckles, but I've added the shoulder to provide some additional meat. The sweet and savory flavors are wholly authentic; the dish is like a curry with an extra measure of sweetness to balance the hot spice. You'll taste the delightful hint of cinnamon, which speaks unmistakably of the Orient. It's great with aromatic basmati rice, flavored with chicken stock, turmeric, garlic, and raisins.