217 monte recipes

Summer pudding-style fruit cake lined with sponge cake and packed with kirsch-soaked strawberries, blackberries, cherries, and currants. Chilled overnight and unmolded.

Kipper pate slices layer creamy smoked fish on golden puff pastry, finished with a cool cucumber-mint dressing. A British appetizer that handles a dinner party with quiet confidence.

Yum Hoi Mang-Pu, a Thai mussel salad tossed with lemongrass, shallots, fresh mint, fiery bird's-eye chilies, lime juice, and fish sauce. Crisp, fiery, and sour, served over lettuce as a starter.

Italian-style hot fish pickle made from canned tuna, salmon, or anchovy mashed with white wine, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and Mediterranean herbs. A bold spread for crackers, crostini, or pasta.

A South African-style spiced mince filling for samoosas: beef or mutton braised dry with jeera, ginger, garlic, turmeric, fresh coriander and mint. The keep-it-dry method that stops samoosas from going soggy.

A bright Vietnamese salad of diced shrimp and pork tossed with lime, garlic, coriander, chili, and fresh mint. No cooking required, ready in 20 minutes.

Cocoa meringue cake: two crisp cocoa-free meringue disks sandwiched with a mocha-chocolate filling and served in a pool of bright raspberry sauce. An elegant, low-fat dessert showpiece.

Green-and-white peppermint pinwheel cookies, sliced from a swirled frozen log. A classic Christmas icebox cookie with spiraled layers of vanilla and mint dough.

Cucumbers in yogurt with fresh basil, mint, scallion, and garlic. Cool Mediterranean-style cucumber salad or dip for grilled meats and warm flatbreads.

Thai-inspired chopped chicken salad tossed with shallots, scallions, jalapeño, lemon juice, soy sauce, and fresh mint and cilantro. A bright, no-cook dish ready in 15 minutes.

Low-fat berry trifle layered with raspberry gelatin, blueberry pie filling, orange-soaked angel food cake, and vanilla pudding. A no-bake dessert that chills in under an hour.

Medieval-inspired roast goose stuffed with pears, grapes, and fresh herbs, served with a spiced wine and vinegar sauce. A stunning, historically rooted holiday centerpiece.

Gingered carrot soup with cumin, fennel, cinnamon, and allspice for a Middle Eastern-leaning spice profile, brightened with lemon juice. Pureed smooth and finished with a swirl of yogurt.

Greek-style burger sauce with yogurt, cucumber, mint, oregano, cumin, and a splash of red wine. A homemade tzatziki-inspired topping for grilled burgers.

Jerry's Barbecue Sauce: a slow-simmered BBQ sauce with white wine, honey, dried mint, and three cups of onion. Cajun-style with a surprising herbal note. Makes a generous batch.

To bring out the natural sweetness of ham and to keep it juicy during grilling, we glazed ham steaks with orange juice and tequila.