If you’ve spent any time on Pita & Chocolat, you’ve probably noticed that I love fish tartares. I’ve already shared my tuna tartare with mango and my pani puri with tuna and salmon tartare. Today I’m adding a newcomer to the collection, with a fruit that makes a nice change. What I love about this kind of starter is that it’s simple, festive and beautiful on the plate all at once.

Tom kha gai is a wonderfully flavorful, exotic soup made with chicken, spices and coconut milk that I make every year when winter comes. It’s mild and spicy at the same time, a real treat. I discovered it years ago at Izaaki, a restaurant that no longer exists but that I loved. It’s the kind of soup you’d go out to a restaurant for, except now you can make it at home!

A staple of Japanese starters, miso soup is a light, soothing and comforting soup made with miso paste, seaweed and tofu. Here is a deliciously fragrant vegan version, made without dashi.

Here is a flavorful, simple way to make homemade fish soup, served with rouille sauce. If you’re not in the habit of asking your fishmonger to set aside the heads and bones for you, it’s time to start! Top this soup with the fish of your choice, steamed and added just before serving.

Who said soups were boring? Here’s an easy butternut squash soup. It’s comforting, filling and packed with vitamins, perfect for fall and winter. Vegan and parve when made with vegetable stock.

With the start of fall come the figs! Their season is fairly short, so make the most of it. Beyond eating them as they are, in jams or tarts, or in a savory loaf like this one, here is an indulgent, simple salad that makes a nice change and deserves a place on your table. Here, everyone loves it!

A fun, sweet take on the classic chirashi rice bowl, to adapt with whatever fruit is in season.

A twist on the famous tomato gazpacho, here’s an original, easy, quick and refreshing recipe.

If, like me, you love fried eggplant but the thought of watching it soak up all that oil kills the craving, this oven-fried eggplant recipe is for you! Far less oil than deep-frying, for a result you could easily mistake for the real thing!

Here is a quick and excellent recipe for crispy basil shrimp rolls that always makes an impression, whether you serve it with drinks, as a starter, or as a main on a composed salad.

Spaghetti squash is a very pretty squash that gets its name from the way its cooked flesh pulls apart into strands that look just like spaghetti. You can use it the same way, and here I’m sharing a recipe for spaghetti squash with Parmesan sauce. It’s indulgent and surprisingly convincing, perfect for replacing regular pasta. A kosher dairy recipe.

Club sandwiches are perfect for lunch, brunch or a light dinner. They are easy to make and always feel a little sophisticated, when really all you have to do is put together a few good-quality ingredients.

Served as a cold starter or as a more generous main, the assiette nordique (Nordic platter) is an elegant dish of smoked fish and salad, served with blinis or toast. Here is my suggestion for the one I like to make; you can adapt it to your taste and to whatever you have in the fridge.

These manchurians are Indo-Chinese vegetable balls in an absolutely divine sweet and sour sauce. They’re flavorful, tender, with a texture close to meat, and here everyone loved them! A vegan, parve recipe.

Indian-spiced red lentil fritters that are incredibly easy to get right and packed with flavor! A recipe to add to your repertoire when you want a change from falafel or meatballs.

The famous chickpea fritters, so easy to make and so, so good! A must-have for your falafel party (and naturally vegan and parve).

The best known of the Indian sauces, healthy and quick, made with yogurt, cucumber and mint. It pairs perfectly with Indian dishes like red lentil fritters.