Yogurt

Greece On many Greek islands, figs are usually poached in a locally produced dessert wine. The combination of red wine, citrus, and spices used here yields equally sweet results. The honey-yogurt cream is similar to an Italian panna cotta.

Vellarikkai Thakkali Vengaya Pachadi Pachadi is the southern version of North Indian raita. You can substitute plain low-fat yogurt for the whole-milk yogurt here, but drain it in a sieve overnight first.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Diane Kochilas's book Meze: Small Plates to Savor and Share from the Mediterranean Table. Kochilas also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Kochilas and Greek cuisine, click here. Onions, cheese, and yogurt pies abound in the north of Greece, especially in shepherds' communities where dairy products are daily staples. This recipe is culled from that tradition, but instead of preparing a whole sheet pan with homemade phyllo, I have reworked it to make it accessible and more in tune with the meze style of eating.

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

Pastry chef Valerie Hill offers this appealing treat at the Morrison-Clark Historic Inn & Restaurant in Washington, D.C. Allowing the yogurt to drain produces the thick and creamy yogurt cheese.

This tangy, fresh yogurt "cheese" -known as labaneh- vies for attention with hummus and tahini on the standard Israeli platter of mezze, or appetizers. Here it's seasoned with sesame seeds and spices, and drizzled with olive oil. Plan to start this the day before serving.

Store-bought vanilla frozen yogurt acts as the luscious foil for oranges, pineapple, mango and bananas in a fat-free brown sugar-cinnamon sauce.

Chef Shelton uses a 4- by 2-inch round cake ring to mold the salad on the plate.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 35 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

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

This dressing can also be used as a refreshing condiment for spicy curries.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Summer Vegetable Curry.

To make the nori rolls in this recipe we used a bamboo sushi mat, available at Asian markets and some specialty shops. It's possible to make the rolls using a double thickness of aluminum foil instead of a sushi mat, but using a mat makes the process much easier.