Fred Thompson

This French-inspired pizza makes a good first course, great party food, or even a satisfying main with a green salad on the side. Don't worry if your kids ask, "Where's the tomato sauce?" Once they try a slice of this pie, they'll be sold on the marriage of crisp bacon, nutty Gruyère, and sweet onions.

This is an amazing recipe. Cumin, smoked paprika, and other bold spices in the rub come together with a chunky salsa of tomatillos, chile, lime, and cilantro to deliver an explosion of flavors that complement the chicken. If you have cumin haters in the family, this recipe could just change their minds.

This is one of my favorite burgers. The charred onions develop a deep sweetness that perfectly counterbalances the earthy, slightly sour character of the rye bread and the nutty flavor of the Swiss cheese. This is a first-class knife-and-fork burger that you will want to eat again and again.

Even folks in the South, where pimiento cheese is lovingly called the "pâté of the South," will give you a quizzical look when you mention this burger. I always thought its true home was around Columbia, South Carolina, and the lower upstate area. But then I saw a pimiento cheeseburger on the menu in a wonderful burger joint and restaurant called Litton's, in Knoxville, Tennessee, so I guess a good idea can cross state lines. So here's how to do it, complete with a little pimiento cheese recipe, but the burger's not bad even if you have to use a good-quality store-bought pimiento cheese.

Direct Heat

The Italian classic panzanella gets a new spin when you grill the bread. This added dimension, I think, further brings out the summer sweetness of dead-ripe beefsteak tomatoes. The juxtaposition of the caramelized, toasted bread against the sweet-tart tomatoes makes for plenty of contrast in flavor and texture. You can also try this without grilling the tomatoes, if you prefer. Just don't make this salad too far in advance. You want the bread to have a little structure and crispness.

Direct Heat

I love short ribs, but I've always been a braising person, convinced that you couldn't just grill a short rib and make it wonderful to eat. While writing this book I became obsessed with creating a simple, grilled boneless short rib recipe. The key is to trim the connective tissue that holds the bone to the meat. I found that often when you buy boneless short ribs, this tissue is still there, and it's tougher than a pair of Marine boots that have marched across Iraq. After that adjustment it's a matter of being patient at the grill. You want them nicely caramelized but you don't want to overcook them. They need to be pink inside to be tender enough to eat and enjoy. Serve with pinto beans cooked with garlic and cilantro or atop grits or mashed potatoes.

Perfect barbecue sauce? That sounds pretty arrogant. With all the brands and homemade recipes out in the world, can one really be that good? Well, put it this way: If you can get a bunch of vinegar-loving good ol' boys from North Carolina to go gaga over a sauce, then I think it has some validity.

Now, Virginia Pruitt, of Bonner Springs, Kansas, is way too modest to proclaim this sauce much beyond just "good." This is a family recipe that has roots in several states, with a little experimentation over 50 years. Ms. Pruitt got the recipe from her aunt-in-law, Ruth Reed, who lives in Denver. The original version came from Ruth's mother, who was reared in Kentucky.

The sauce is a great blend of sweet, tart, tang, and clingability. I have tried it on ribs, brisket, smoked pork butt, and grilled chicken with fabulous results. IF you want a one-stop barbecue sauce, this may be the one.

Praline, a southern candy, forms the top of this showstopping cake.

A perfect summertime cocktail. Because it's a combination of iced tea, lemonade, and booze, we've dubbed it the Tipsy Arnold Palmer.

This watermelon salad recipe with a balsamic glaze is a "simple" dish—if simple means merely marinated, spice-crusted, and grilled.