Shrimp cocktail is one of the most beloved pre-dinner dishes. Although I am the first to admit there is nothing better than a large shrimp dipped into a tangy cocktail sauce, I find it fun to experiment with ways to vary it. I created this version to go with a Mexican meal.

Muhammara is a Syrian dip that is made with roasted red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate molasses. It’s savory, sweet, slightly smoky, with just enough spice. The Pomegranate molasses in the dip is a flavor powerhouse.

GET INSTANT SUCCESS WITH THESE BITE-SIZE APPETIZERS

These new, lactose-free popovers can be baked large to serve in place of bread or in mini muffin tins for appetizers. They each have their own personality, just like our kids. 

Legend has it that the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, whom the Romans renamed Venus, sprang fully formed from the sea, giving birth to the idea that bivalves enhance amorous occasions. Rather than take a chance you’ll miss the Valentine’s Day passion boat, dive into your romantic repast with these fabulous baked oysters.

Melon wrapped in prosciutto has been around for centuries. In Medieval times melon was considered such a highly dangerous fruit due its cold and juicy nature that cooks would counterbalance it by wrapping it in something dry and warm. I’ve gussied up my version to make it au courant.

When you hear guacamole, you think avocados. But surprisingly, peas add a delicious sweetness and offer other advantages: They don't turn brown when mashed ahead and you can always find them ripe.

You most likely won’t be able to guess the ingredients in this extremely flavorful dip/spread. The cilantro is almost indiscernible, as is the dill. The only ingredient you will probably taste is the feta and maybe the pistachios. Let’s just say it is a marvelous blend of flavors.

In France they serve these cakes with wine as an aperitif. That works for me. I uncorked a bottle or rosé, took small bites of these cakes and decided to pass them on to you.

This crunchy salsa is the perfect topping for Shrimp and Corn Chowder, but it also great with chicken, fish and as a dip.

Thomas Keller serves these at The French Laundry as an Amuse Bouche. They are fancier there because he quickly wraps the crisps (before they crisp up) into cones around cornet molds and fills them with salmon.

Canned chipotles in adobo sauce give this clever, creamy dip an enticing heat and smokiness.

Find out how hot, puffy, chewy zesty golden cheese puffs made in the blender and baked in mini muffin tins keeps me ho-ho-ing through the holidays.

I brought these to a meeting recently and amidst platters of appetizers, so many people were talking about them and asking for the recipe that I thought you might enjoy it, too.

GET INSTANT SUCCESS WITH THESE BITE-SIZE APPETIZERS

These new, lactose-free popovers can be baked large to serve in place of bread or in mini muffin tins for appetizers. They each have their own personality, just like our kids. 

Trendy hummus can be made in a rainbow of flavors from beet to spinach. I keep mine simple by substituting buttery limas for the garbanzos, which makes it wonderfully creamy. 

How many roles can one mushroom play? How about an excellent hors d'oeuvre, first course, vegetable side dish or vegetarian entree?  Vegetables don't get more versatile than this. 

These scrumptious shrimp are so easy to make that with a little extra effort, you can increase the recipe for 2 to serve 22. 

This was such a hit at a San Francisco Chronicle holiday party that Thomas Keller of the French Laundry was so impressed he asked to meet me.  

Gruyere Gougères(ɡooˈZHer)  You may not be able to pronounce them. but these cheese filled cream puffs are one of the most delicious French hors d'oeuvre ever. Follow my step-by-step directions and you will have beautiful golden cheese puffs to impress your friends. They are a little time consuming to make, but they freeze beautifully before they are baked. . 

These are no ordinary carrots. Cooking them in honey and then seasoning with cumin makes them so flavorful that they become a conversation piece. Everyone tries to guess the ingredients. 

I am about to confess to the one thing I have never been able to cook—until now. You may have the same problem. I have the solution. Read on for the secret to making eggs fuss-free, fancy, and flavorful.

Here’s a great recipe to use up any of those creanberries you may have left over from the holidays. It’s also a reminder that you should purchase extra bags and throw them in your freezer before they disappear from the market shelves.

I totally get that in the heat of summer, we want to keep our cooking simple and use the oven as little as possible. “So why am I sending you a recipe for biscuits that need baking,” you may brilliantly ask? Well, for one thing, you can make these early in the morning, before the heat climbs up to its highest temperature. Plus, they cook in all of 8 minutes.

If recipes could be a ball game, these are a home run. I hadn’t made them in years when I decided to make them for a brunch class I was teaching for high schoolers in LA.

In France they serve these cakes with wine as an aperitif. That works for me. I uncorked a bottle or rosé, took small bites of these cakes and decided to pass them on to you.

These muffins are loaded with blueberries. Some are smashed while others remain whole. The crumbs are cake like and they have a little crunch from a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon over the top.

Moist, dense banana bread swirled throughout with fudgy ribbons of Nutella—you got that right—it’s a wow!

I brought these to a meeting recently and amidst platters of appetizers, so many people were talking about them and asking for the recipe that I thought you might enjoy it, too.

I call this banana bread, which comes from Marion Cunningham, the best, because it truly is. Your bananas must be very ripe. I have a trick.  

I didn't just test these once. Or even twice. Or even thrice. Sum it up to say that I had muffins as hard as hockey pucks, as dense as tennis balls and as palatable as styrofoam cups all over my kitchen before I hit Passover perfection. 

Baking stuffing in muffin cups has many advantages. These  are universally popular, because it seems everyone likes cornbread. Here are several other advantages:

It's great to make your own muffins, because you know what's in them. In this case only wholesome ingredients and very few calories--160 each to be exact. 

Plain popovers are amazing. They are also fun. I still get excited every time I open the oven and see how a simple batter turns into glorious, golden rolls rising way over the top of the pan.

Plain popovers are great, but just think what happens when you add pepper Jack cheese and chives, or lemon zest and almonds. Here are 2 delicious popover recipes, along with a yummy Lemon Honey Butter, to add a plethora of personality to plain popovers.

In this very moist bread, the sweetness of oranges is beautifully balanced by the tartness of dried apricots and cranberries.

Popovers Perfected.

After testing 25 popover batters, I have discovered the most failsafe recipe that I guarantee will be over the top every time.  The biggest surprise is that they can be made ahead of time and I think taste even better when reheated.   

Those of you who have followed my cooking through the decades know my motto: A meal is not a meal without dessert and fruit is not dessert. So, you might wisely wonder, when would I serve this luscious dip with all these beautiful summer fruit?

Just in time for Easter and Passover comes this lovely Spring fruit salad that is gently sweetened, lightly spicy and slightly sophisticated.

This is a wonderful complement to the root veggie latkes because it uses yet another root vegetable — beets — and the eye-catching color combo of beets and apples is an exciting alternative to sour cream.

Making chutney may not be on your bucket list, but if you taste this version, you will want to make it.  

Here's an amazingly fresh-tasting jam that doesn't need cooking, takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and can be frozen up to one year.  I was never a jam maker before I discovered instant pectin, but now I have a freezer full of the most delicious strawberry jam imaginable. 

Not too tart and not too sweet, this vibrant sauce has a lively combination of flavors. It's great with turkey, but just as good with chicken and duck.  It can also be a nice complement to canned jellied cranberry sauce for those who won't eat the Thanksgiving bird without it.