Gourmet

Packaged Near East tabbouleh mix, available at most supermarkets, is a good source of bulgur, but we don't use the accompanying seasoning pouch. Bulgur-wheat berries that have been steamed, dried, and then cracked- is also found in natural food stores.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For the prettiest parfaits, look for the reddest rhubarb possible at the supermarket or farmers market.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

If you really want to make this pimento cheese the way my mother does, and you happen to own a hand-crank meat grinder, run the two cheeses once through the fine blade of the grinder into a mixing bowl. Mother simply used to grind the pimentos with the cheeses, but now she prefers to mash them with a heavy fork on a plate until they break up into tiny pieces. She uses homemade mayonnaise but also endorses Hellmann's (a.k.a. Best Foods).

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe was created to accompany Blue Cheese and Walnut Soufflés with Red Pepper Vinaigrette . Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In Sweden various combinations of matjes herring — a type of herring cured in a spiced sweet-and-sour brine — are eaten with the first tender white potatoes of the season. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.