Tarragon

Before the storm of desserts comes the palate-cleansing calm. This playful, snowy mound of savory celery with hints of green apple and tarragon refreshes after the preceding spread. Counterintuitive as it may seem, taking a break before dessert¿to eat a pre-dessert¿will help you enjoy the sweet abundance that awaits.

The keys to this fast, simple dish, which was inspired by a crab-stuffed tomato at Yves Camdeborde's Paris brasserie, Le Comptoir du Relais, are ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, and excellent crabmeat.

You can find cornichons (tiny pickles) at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

We can't get enough of this method for braising potatoes. In this variation, their tenderness is emphasized by an unctuous olive-oil glaze punctuated with fresh chives and tarragon.

Any simple grilled meat would work well alongside this stunning side dish—the long, thin folds of zucchini have visual élan to spare, perking up every plate they touch.

Stirring the fresh herbs into the hot rice preserves their flavor and releases their aroma.

Even lovelier atop coarsely torn escarole.

Chop the shallots and the garlic in the processor to make this recipe even easier.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com . I use this technique to grill one of my signature dishes, pancetta-wrapped trout. I stuff the fish with fresh tarragon, wrap it mummy-style in pancetta (uncured Italian bacon) and serve it with a simple mesclun salad for a winning meal off the grill.

Make the vibrant lemon, tarragon, and parsley butter up to three days ahead and then toss with hot blanched green beans for an easy last-second side.

In this recipe, butter lettuce is cooked in pan drippings for a quick side.

This recipe was created by chef Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. It's part of a special menu he created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. For the polenta, chef Mackinnon Patterson recommends Anson Mills Rustic Coarse Polenta.

Juicy scallops are rich in selenium, a mineral that protects cells from disease-causing damage in the body.

Just as a touch of bergamot brings hints of floral and citrus to the blend of teas in Earl Grey, the essence of Seville orange and lemon scents the Lady Grey brew. Here, lime and tarragon provide yet more layers of fresh flavor.

Why you'll make it: Because it's as good as a lobster roll in a simpler-to-make easier-on- the-budget package.

We adopted contributing editor Jon Rowley's technique for poaching salmon in water salted like the sea. This method imparts a touch of brine and enables the other seasonings to permeate the fish. Cut into very thick steaks instead of left whole, the fish is easier to handle and doesn't require a poacher. The creamy sauce makes for a sophisticated finish.