Traveling abroad may be on hold right now, but there’s no reason why we can’t bring the taste and ambience of travel home to our kitchens and gardens with mezze. Mezze is an appetizer tradition essential to the cuisines of the Middle East, Turkey and Greece.

The word “mezze” derives from the Arabic term t'mazza, which translates as "savor in little bites.” The tradition consists of just that -- a sampling of simple and fresh bites enjoyed with a refreshing drink, meant to whet the appetite before a meal. It’s a daily ritual and social tradition enjoyed with family and friends, centered around the table, often al fresco in the warm weather season.

This is a tradition we can all get behind. What could be a more convivial and pleasurable way to begin a meal than with a sampling of mezze accompanied by a glass of something cool and sparkling on a warm summer evening? Mezze can vary from a simple bite or two to a substantial spread. It almost always includes a sampling of dips, such as hummus, tzatziki or baba ghanoush, along with fresh crudites, pickles and olives. For a more substantial selection, the samplings are endless, including brochettes of meat and keftas (ground meat patties and meatballs), grilled calamari or octopus, simple salads and dolmas (stuffed vegetables and filled grape leaves.) The portions should be small and served in stages, encouraging mingling and lingering at the table.

Here are two basic mezze recipes you can make in advance and stash in the refrigerator, ready for serving or last-minute guests. Get started with these, then pour yourself a glass and enjoy a moment in the sunshine.

Smoky Eggplant and Chickpea Dip

This recipe is inspired by baba ghanoush, which is a traditional Middle Eastern dip made with roasted eggplant, tahini and lemon. In this version, extra flavor-boosting spices are added, as well as chickpeas for more structure. Select an eggplant that is firm, shiny and smooth and has a nice heft to its weight.

Active time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes, plus draining and cooling time

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

1 medium globe eggplant, 1 to 1 1/4 pounds

1 cup cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup tahini

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

2 large garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Chopped Italian parsley leaves for garnish

Pita bread or crudites for serving

If grilling, prepare the grill for direct and indirect cooking over medium-high heat. Pierce the eggplant all over with a fork. Grill the eggplant over direct medium-high heat first, until charred on all sides. Move to indirect heat and continue to grill until the eggplant is slightly collapsed and very soft when pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplant. Remove and cool to the touch, then slice in half.

If using an oven, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Brush with olive oil and arrange cut-side-down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast in the oven until collapsed and very tender, 35 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplant. Remove and cool to the touch.

Scoop the eggplant flesh into a strainer over a bowl and let drain for 30 minutes. Discard the skins.

Combine the eggplant and all of the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to blend to your desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors develop. Serve at room temperature with pita bread and crudites for dipping, garnished with chopped fresh parsley. The dip may be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. The flavors will diminish slightly with time.

Marinated Feta With Lemon

This appetizer is impossibly easy to make and best made ahead of serving. The longer the feta can marinate, the better the flavor.

Active time: 10 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes, plus marinating time

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

8 ounces feta cheese, rinsed and patted dry, cut in 3/4-inch cubes

Zest of one lemon, peeled with a vegetable peeler

2 to 3 thyme sprigs

2 to 3 oregano sprigs

1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 cup

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Shelter in place has given way to an abundance of bread baking. If you follow social media, you can’t miss the number of proud bread photos and sourdough sagas to admire and read. It makes sense. With all of our stay-at-home time, why not take the opportunity to develop and perfect our baking skills? I propose adding tarte tatins to that list.

Tarte what? Tarte tatin is a French upside-down fruit tart that could easily pass as the poster-child for a universally pleasing, caramelized dessert demanding to be shared. It traditionally features fall fruit, such as apple and pear, but I am here to tell you that those ingredients are not mandatory. In fact, any fruit that can be slow-cooked in butter and sugar without dissolving into a puddle will work. Stone fruits, such as plums, nectarines and apricots, are excellent contenders, which is why tarte tatins should be added to your summer to-do list.

The key to a successful tarte tatin, besides luscious in-season fruit, is the caramel, which is the base in which the fruit is cooked. A pastry crust is then layered over the bubbling, fruity confection, and the tart is finished in the oven. Once baked, the tart is inverted onto a plate, and the caramel becomes the top of the tart -- a shiny sheen encasing the fruit like fossilized amber.

Tarte tatins may appear tricky to make, but each step is straightforward. The biggest mistake you can make is not taking the time to allow the fruit to properly caramelize. It may be tempting to rush this step and hasten to the bake stage, but you will risk a runny topping that lacks in caramel color and flavor.

When making the caramel, remember these tips. As mentioned, heed the time. Be patient and vigilant, and allow the caramel to achieve its ideal color. This should take about 30 minutes, while you keep an eye on the bubbling sugar and butter, turning the pan to ensure even cooking. The ideal color should resemble golden-brown amber or the color of peanut butter. If it’s too light, the flavor will read sweet. If it’s too dark, you risk burning when the caramel continues to darken while the tart bakes. I find that the best pan in which to make the tart is metal. A cast-iron pan may be alluring and oh-so rustic to use, but it will be difficult to read the color of the caramel as it cooks. I prefer to use a stainless steel oven-proof skillet.

The final turn of the baked tart onto the plate is easier than it sounds. Make sure you are properly gloved up. Steady and center the skillet and the plate, and ... just flip it. If any bits remain in the pan, you can simply add them to the top of the tart. Detailed perfection is not necessary. This is a rustic tart. Fruit and caramel are forgiving, whether in pristine or cobbled-together desserts, and they always taste great. The good news is that once you’ve made a few of these tarts, you’ll get the hang of the technique. So go ahead and start practicing your tarte tatin baking skills. Your friends and family will appreciate your new project.

Apricot Tarte Tatin

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes, plus chilling time

Yield: Serves 8

Pastry:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced

1/3 cup full-fat sour cream

Filling:

2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 chunks, room temperature

1 1/2 pounds medium apricots, halved and pitted

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 egg, lightly beaten

Prepare the pastry:

Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor once or twice to blend. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is pea-sized. Add the sour cream and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather the dough in a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Before preparing the filling, roll the dough out on parchment paper to a round shape to fit size of skillet. Slide the parchment and pastry onto a baking tray and refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the tart:

Whisk the 2 tablespoons sugar, cardamom and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Arrange the butter in a 10-inch oven-proof skillet with sloping sides. Evenly sprinkle the 3/4 cup sugar over the skillet. Place over medium heat and cook until the butter melts, the sugar begins to dissolve, and the mixture begins to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully arrange the apricots, skin-side down, in a circular pattern in the skillet. Sprinkle the reserved sugar mixture and the lemon zest over the fruit.

Continue to cook the fruit over medium heat until a deep amber-colored syrup forms, 25 to 30 minutes, turning the skillet to ensure even cooking.

While the apricots are cooking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

When the caramel is the desired color, remove the skillet from the heat. Working quickly, lay the pastry over the apricots and peel away the parchment. (It’s OK if the pastry breaks or tears in places. You can piece it together once the parchment is discarded. Remember, it’s the bottom of the tart -- it needn’t look pristine.) Press the pastry around edges of the skillet. Cut 3 to 4 slits in the pastry and brush with the egg.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes.

Remove the tarte from the oven. Let it stand for one minute, then run a knife around the edge of the tarte to help it release when inverted. Place a large heat-proof platter over skillet. Using oven mitts, hold the skillet and platter together and invert the tart onto the platter. If any bits stick to the pan, use a knife or spatula to remove and add to the tart. Cool for at least 30 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

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While simplicity often reigns when making salads, a little attention to how you put them together can make a difference -- and not just in presentation, but also in flavor. There’s certainly nothing wrong with combining all of your salad fixings in a bowl and giving them a good toss. Some salads demand a good jumble, such as cheesy Caesar salads or simple green salads. However, if you have a special standout ingredient that you don’t want to submerge in a bowl of greens, or if you prefer a lighter hand in dressing the salad without wilting tender leaves, then layering is the way to go.

Dressing:

When layering a salad, you can ensure that it’s evenly dressed. Simply drizzle the base ingredients, such as your greens or crudites, with just enough dressing to lightly kiss the leaves and disperse with a gentle toss. You will add more dressing once the salad is composed. Layer the remaining ingredients on top and coat with a final light drizzle, and your salad is ready to go. And remember to go lightly when dressing your salad. You can always add more (or pass it once served), but you can’t remove it.

Seasoning and flavoring:

When proteins are one of your star ingredients, be sure to season them first -- don’t rely on the dressing alone to be the flavor agent for pieces of chicken, meat, fish or tofu. Layering also allows you to build in flavor with aromatics, such as snippets of fresh herbs, nuts and seeds, and finely grated citrus zest. Add a little to each layer to flavor and perfume the salad and ensure they’re present in every bite.

This salad has summer written all over it. Shrimp, feta and olives are the star ingredients, mingling with sweet corn, juicy tomatoes and plenty of garden greens. It’s beautiful when presented in a large serving bowl or arranged in individual serving bowls.

Shrimp and Feta Salad

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time

Yield: Serves 4 as a light meal or 6 as a side dish

Shrimp:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 pound large (16/18) shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails intact if desired

Salt

1/2 lemon

Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

6 to 8 ounces mixed greens, such as arugula, red leaf, romaine, torn into bite-size pieces

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed, thinly sliced

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup fresh corn kernels

1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, divided

1/4 cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped, divided

12 black olives, such as Kalamata or oil-cured

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Finely grated lemon zest, for garnish

Cook the shrimp:

Heat the oil and red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the shrimp in one layer without overcrowding the pan. Cook until bright coral-pink on both sides and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer the shrimp to a plate, lightly season with salt and a squeeze of lemon, and cool to room temperature.

Make the vinaigrette:

Whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly to emulsify.

Assemble the salad:

Combine the greens, tomatoes, red pepper, onion, corn, half of the parsley and half of the mint in a large, wide serving bowl. Drizzle about 1/4 cup vinaigrette over the greens (or enough to lightly coat) and toss. Arrange the shrimp over the greens and scatter the olives and feta over the salad. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette to taste. Garnish with the remaining parsley and mint and the lemon zest.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS