Chive

I usually forget how satisfying it is to eat mussels this way — splashing into the steamy bowl fragrant with spring herbs — until I'm at a restaurant eating them and think, "Mmm, I should make these again, soon."

Simmering cobs in the corn-broth mixture gives the soup extra flavor.

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

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 50 min

Steamed baby yellow squash and rice pilaf studded with bits of pimiento would look pretty with the scallops. End the meal with a plate of petits fours or fancy cookies and some fresh berries.

The potatoes are cooked in chicken broth and then tossed with chives to give the dish a boost of flavor with almost no additional fat.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Rather than making herbs part of a green salad, why not make these fresh, flavorful greens the salad. The idea comes from Paris chef Alain Passard, who years ago served me an all-tarragon salad at his Left Bank restaurant, Arpège. When tarragon is fresh in the market or your garden overflows with this extraordinarily powerful herb, why not serve it with honor as a salad on its own? Years later Passard expanded what I call "the tarragon tangle" to a full-scale mixed herb salad—just a few well-dressed bites on a small salad plate—as an accompaniment. The idea really is to mix and match judiciously. Just don't use so many herbs that they lose their personality. Good combinations include parsley, mint, and tarragon. Or consider an all-mint salad to accompany grilled lamb, an all-tarragon salad to accompany grilled chicken, a sage-heavy salad to accompany roast pork. Other herbs that can be added to the following salad mix include a very judicious addition of hyssop, sage, chervil, and marjoram. Just be sure to include leaves only—no cheating—leaving all stems behind!

Garnish with grapefruit, orange and lime segments if you like.

The pasta and sauce cook simultaneously (so two cooks can divide and conquer), for a total of about ten minutes, start to finish. Serve with your best bottle of bubbly.

This creamy rice, fragrant with lemon, makes a nice accompaniment to veal. If you like, pack the rice into half-cup custard cups and unmold onto the serving plates. Garnish with additional snipped chives, if desired.

Serve these chicken roulades with rice pilaf and steamed baby squash. Slices of purchased chocolate mousse cake would make an elegant dessert.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.