Ajo blanco, a white version of gazpacho, is believed to have originated with the Moors. If you’d like a smoother texture, try soaking the blanched almonds in milk before processing.

Serve with cherry or plum dipping sauce. Adapted from a VH Sauces recipe.

I ordered a wedge salad on one of my first dates back in the 1960s and felt very grown-up doing so. This satisfying salad fell out of fashion for many years but is now popping up on restaurant menus again.

Recipe courtesy of www.pc.ca .

Serve this soup hot or chilled. Recipe adapted from Oster. 

Spread your favourite jam on each crêpe and spoon a dollop of whipped cream sweetened with sugar and a splash of Luxardo Maraschino liqueur to transform this appetizer into a luscious dessert. Updated from an old recipe I had from Sunset Magazine.

Be sure to choose firm cucumbers for this dish. English Cucumbers are the easiest to use because they contain minimal seeds. Otherwise, you can remove the seeds from other cucumber varieties with a small spoon.

In India, a chat is a snack, an appetizer or a light salad.

Some people prefer to blend all the ingredients together while others prefer the look of mixed and chopped ingredients. Experiment to find which method is your favourite.

This recipe is quick and tasty. It's a great way to use up all of those tomatoes that are so abundant in late summer.

This is a quick and delicious appetizer courtesy of McCormick Canada. The shrimp can be replaced with large scallops. Serve with lemon or lime wedges. These are also delicious cold. Remember, if you're using wooden skewers to soak them in water 2 hours to prevent burning.

Recipe courtesy of Oster.

You can also turn this appetizer into an entrée. Butterfly chicken breasts, spread the stuffing over the cut surface, and secure the edges with a toothpick. Or, de-bone chicken legs and stuff the cavity, again securing the leg with a toothpick. When buying the ingredients, make sure that you go home with more mushrooms than you think you might need. Some will undoubtedly break when the stems are removed. This recipe has been adapted from the California Culinary Academy.

This salad is a treat for your taste buds. Add it to a sandwich, or serve as is with steak. The amount can easily be doubled or tripled with fantastic results.

Recipe courtesy of Lobel’s Meat Bible (Raincoast Books).

Recipe courtesy of Lobel’s Meat Bible (Raincoast Books).

Feel free to substitute your favourite type of pear in this exotic combination.

Here is the classic French leek and potato soup that is traditionally served cold.

Serve strawberries warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.