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With the kids at home for spring break this week, a meal like this one can be enjoyed by adults and small fry alike. The main course - "pizza fondue" - was a favourite of my children when they were little and, although I probably made it with canned pizza sauce and yellow cheddar in those days, my new version is excellent for grownups, too. It is basically a cheese fondue with an Italian twist. The melon and cucumber salad is a light, tasty starter and the Hamantaschen - traditional Jewish three-cornered cookies - are favourites during Purim, which begins on Monday.

Melon and cucumber salad

Taking three elements that many kids love - melon, cucumber and edamame - I have invented this beautiful and fresh-tasting salad that appeals to everyone. You also could add watermelon if you wish.

Ingredients½ cantaloupe, peeled and cubed½ a small honeydew, peeled and cubed½ English cucumber, unpeeled and cut in cubes

1 cup defrosted edamame beans

4 cups shredded romaine lettuce

Dressing:

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

Method

Combine mint, sugar, lime juice and orange juice and reserve. Place a base of romaine lettuce on a platter. Toss together cantaloupe, honeydew, cucumber and edamame beans. Stir in dressing and pile onto romaine. Serves 4 to 6.

Pizza fondue

This fondue is kid- and adult-friendly; the kids think it tastes like pizza and the adults love the cheese flavour. Make a simple marinara sauce or buy a good-quality version in a jar. I like to keep marinara sauce frozen for quick and easy use. You can use anything for dipping, from chunks of good Italian bread to bread sticks to raw vegetables. If you have a piece of Parmesan rind, add that to the tomato sauce for greater flavour. (Remove it before serving.) If you have a fondue pot, drag it out, as it is the perfect way to serve it.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil½ cup chopped onions

1 tablespoon chopped garlic¼ cup white wine

1 28-ounce (796-gram) can crushed tomatoes½ teaspoon chili flakes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

3 to 4 cups grated mozzarella, mild cheddar, fontina or any melting cheese you like

Dippers:

Broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, green beans, celery, carrot, bread sticks

Method

Heat oil in wide pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes or until softened slightly. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Pour in wine and bring to boil. Add tomatoes and chili flakes and let simmer for 20 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and stir in basil.

Reduce heat and add cheese into sauce a little at a time, stirring to make sure it is well combined. If the sauce is a little lumpy, don't fret; the cheese has incorporated as well as it should and it will still taste great.

Place the final mixture in a pot set over a small burner or candle to keep it warm while people dip in their bread and vegetables. Serves 4 to 6.

Hamantaschen

The Jewish festival of Purim begins at sundown on March 9, but you don't need to be observing it to love these traditional holiday cookies, which are shaped like a three-cornered hat and filled with jam, prune or poppy seed filling. My version is richer and flakier than some of the traditional recipes. It is easily doubled if you want more.

Ingredients

Cream cheese pastry:

3 ounces (90 grams) cream cheese, cut into pieces

3 ounces (90 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Filling:

1 cup chopped prunes½ cup brewed green tea

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon rind¼ cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

Method

Place cream cheese, butter, flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Remove from processor and form into a ball. Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine prunes, tea, lemon juice and rind in a small pot over medium heat and bring to boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes or until prunes are very soft. Add brown sugar and let simmer for 5 minutes longer or until mixture is thick and jam-like.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 3-inch circles, gathering and re-rolling scraps as necessary. You should have about 12 pastry bases.

Place a heaped teaspoon of prune mixture in the centre of each pastry round and brush edge of each circle with a little beaten egg. Bring pastry edge up around filling on two sides and pinch together to make a point of sealed pastry; repeat two more times (pinching pastry well to ensure that it seals together) so that filling is almost enclosed and cookie looks like a three-cornered hat.

Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Makes about 12.

lwaverman@globeandmail.com