Buttermilk

Buttermilk and blue cheese make this slaw rich and tangy.

Cornmeal gives these blini a slightly crunchy texture that is perfect with the salsa.

An old-fashioned cake gets a new treatment: Some of the trimmed cake crumbs are mixed with chocolate-cookie crumbs and pressed onto the frosting. Fresh raspberries are the colorful crowning touch.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 45 min

The big, All-American layer cake returns. Think pancakes and syrup, all dressed up. Buttermilk makes the cake moist, and maple-walnut candy provides the crunch.

Every year for nearly twenty years Gourmet's production director baked this cake for our mailroom manager on his birthday. Suffice it to say that this delectable dessert has stood the test of time.

Here's a perfect way to have the taste of fried oysters without all the extra fat. If the oysters are very large, cut them in half before coating them with the cornmeal.

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

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 25 min

In these easy scones, cumin seeds complement the sharp cheddar, and self-rising flour eliminates the need for baking powder or baking soda. If you prepare the dough the night before, you can just pop the scones into the oven when guests arrive.

Translated from medieval Scottish, farl means, "the fourth part." In this version, quartered rounds of dark bread are sweetened with treacle, which is similar to molasses, and lightly spiced with ginger. The mixture may occasionally include a handful of raisins or other dried fruit, but the bread is always served sliced and buttered, with a cup of tea.

I line the buttered pans with buttered wax paper, then flour them, to make unmolding the cakes easy after baking.

Crisp, golden onion rings have never been so pretty or so simple to make.

Half of one of these loaves is enough for the croutons for the White Bean and Ham Hock Soup with Arugula.