Cake Flour

Crunchy hazelnut praline adds a touch of sophistication to this rich cheesecake. Begin preparing the cake a day before serving.

If I had to choose among all my cakes, this one would win first place because it is delicious by itself yet versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of buttercreams. The cake combines the soft texture of white cake with the buttery flavor of yellow cake. Using all the yolks instead of whole eggs produces a rich yellow color, fine texture and delicious flavor.

"The Farm of Beverly Hills has the most incredible, delectable giant brownies!" says Cindy Grand of San Francisco, CA. "They taste more like fudge with a light, crunchy surface. Would you help me get the recipe?" These are probably the fudgiest brownies we've ever tried—in fact, they seemed too rich to serve in giant squares, so we've cut them smaller. They taste even better the day after they're baked.

For more information about making petits fours, see <epi:recipelink id="">Perfect Petits Fours</epi:recipelink>.

The pastry for this tart is very light and crisp. For best results, handle it as little as possible and keep it cool. You will need a 12 1/2- by 1-inch fluted round tart pan with a removable bottom, available at cookware shops and by mail order from Bridge Kitchenware, tel. (800) 274-3435 or (212) 838-1901.

We garnished this cake with Vanda orchids, an edible flower often used to decorate drinks in Hawaii.

Walnuts add crunch to these breakfast treats served at the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid.

An Italian twist on an English favorite.

This dessert can be made one day ahead and stored in the freezer, making it ideal for entertaining. You can create the decorative meringue swirls and peaks with a rubber spatula, table knife, or spoon, but an offset spatula works best.

Some of the tenderest pasta is made with Italian "00" soft wheat flour. Since this flour can be hard to find, we used a combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour with good results.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Mushroom Tortellini in Mushroom Broth . Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Begin making the lime-ginger curd one day before baking the cake. The assembled dessert can be chilled overnight before serving.

Taller, heavier-weight paper molds — typically used for individual panettone, the Italian holiday bread — are used instead of regular muffin papers to create a more elegant look. Vanilla and Almond Frosting is an accompaniment for this recipe.

The milk chocolate frosting provides a subtle and delicious contrast to the dark chocolate cake. Either imported or domestic milk chocolate works well.

Sometimes seen with a lemon filling, this is one of the oldest "fancy" layer cakes and a great southern tradition. The fresh coconut makes you realize why this cake has always been special.