Pineapple

Can your local deli counter inspire a cool Vietnamese-style meal? Definitely. Here, roast beef, already cooked to medium-rare (perfection, in our opinion), is a main player.

If desired, garnish drinks with a wedge of grilled pineapple and a chile slice.

This Caribbean-style pork dish is by cookbook author Daisy Martinez. Look for panko in the Asian foods section of the supermarket or at Asian markets.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from A Passion for Ice Cream by Emily Luchetti, Executive Pastry Chef at Farallon Restaurant in San Francisco. The black cow, also known as a root beer float, is simply a catchy name for a classic treat. This purple and yellow cow builds on the original idea but uses pineapple juice and cassis-berry sherbet. The addition of shaved ice makes it very refreshing. It is as good as the original, but has a more vivid presentation and sophisticated taste.

Juicy pineapple with a nip of rum and ginger is a sophisticated compote that complements bites of the pecan spice cake (recipe precedes) but also makes a satisfying light dessert on its own.

Remember those baked hams gussied up with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries? There's a reason they became so popular in the '50s — pineapple contributes sweetness and a little acid to salty ham. But here, with pineapple juice concentrated into a syrup and combined with thyme and Dijon mustard, the effect is homey, more subtle, and less overtly sweet.

This dessert needs some last-minute assembly, so appoint a helper or line up the components to make it all go smoothly.

The Piña Colada was born in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. Give this version an extra dose of the tropics with a stylish shredded-coconut rim (see below).

Gin is big in the British Virgin Islands, as you might imagine. Here, it's combined with local soursop juice and curaçao. The name is a reference to the shade of the Caribbean Sea.

A Caribbean spin on the 150-year-old classic, this version infuses pineapple into Pisco (a South American brandy) and uses fresh grapefruit and lime peels for added brightness.

A colonial twist on the ubiquitous — and potent — rum punch.

The pineapple may be unexpected, but it brings all the flavors together and makes them shine.

What to drink: Serve a splurge-worthy aged rum in a snifter, to sip like brandy.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Cal-a-Vie Living: Gourmet Spa Cuisine and is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Cal-a-Vie.