Citrus

Secret ingredient: pickle juice. Its salty edge rounds out the Sherry

Yes, it's a long recipe with several parts, but each step is easy enough, and it can all be made ahead.

Dress up any dip, sandwich, or dressing with this flavorful and healthy mayo that also offers the nutrient value of raw kale and fresh garlic. This creamy condiment will soon take the place of butter on your breakfast toast. Go ahead, we won't watch. Spread em'.

Puréed kale leaves give this lighter guacamole an extra dose of fiber and Vitamin A.

Australian potato salad. We didn't know it existed, but when you swap mayo for a tangy vinaigrette and add charred greens, magic happens.

Banish flashbacks of bland zucchini with this crunchy, cheesy, salty, citrusy salad.

In place of vinegar, finger limes give this mignonette its zing (pulp from regular limes works just as well).

The type of fish you use is less important than its quality. Black bass, striped bass, and fluke all translate well; ask your fish guy for what's freshest.

With a mega-flame and a gargantuan pot, you can cook an ocean's worth of seafood in a fraction of the time it would take on the stovetop—without stepping foot in a steamy kitchen.

This is a high-summer throw together of a sauté to make when there are lots of snap beans at the market. Mix colors and types for the full effect.

Tacos al pastor—made from marinated pork that's been roasted on a vertical spit—are wildly popular in Mexico City, particularly at night. The best taqueros put on a show, slicing off bits of caramelized meat and catching it in one hand (or behind their back!), and then reaching above the meat to slice off a piece of warm, juicy pineapple. According to city folklore, these tacos were invented in the capital. The dish is a direct descendant of shawarma, brought by Lebanese immigrants who arrived in Mexico in the early twentieth century. The marinade in this recipe comes from Tacos Don Guero in the Cuauhtémoc neighborhood, whose taqueros were kind enough to explain their ingredients to me at six a.m. one weekday morning. Obviously very few people at home will have a vertical spit—part of what gives tacos al pastor its signature flavor—but a grill would work well, or a blazing-hot cast iron skillet or griddle greased with a little lard.

Strawberries and cream...and cardamom. The cooling spice and cucumbers give berries an element of intrigue.

At the bar, we have giant ice molds to make the ice cubes that keep this punch cold, but when I do it at home, a Tupperware container works just as well. Fill a 1-quart to 2-quart container with hot water (which freezes into clearer ice) and stick it in the freezer twenty-four hours before the party. Then add the giant cube to your punch bowl right before the guests arrive; it keeps everything cold and looks beautiful.

You can assemble this elote-inspired party starter ahead of time, and then bake right before you're ready to serve it.

The delicate orange flavor of Aperol melds well with bitter lemon soda in this crisp cocktail.

Who says that Pimm's is just for Pimm's Cups? Add Champagne, and it becomes an especially refreshing punch. Pimm's was created in the 1840s by an English oyster bar owner, and it became one of the most popular beverages in England. The exact recipe is a secret, but we do know that it is a gin-based liqueur flavored with spices and fruit. It is generally consumed in the Pimm's Cup with ginger ale and a fancy fruit garnish. This party punch takes it one step farther, letting it macerate with fruit and then adding Champagne rather than soda.

The classic combination of peaches and cream takes a trip south of the border in these cinnamon-spiked ice pops.

Serve this cooling mint-infused watermelon juice as cooling refreshment in the summer sun.