Coconut

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. When buying fresh coconuts, look for ones without mold (check the eyes) or cracks. Choose coconuts that are heavy for their size—a sign that they contain plenty of liquid, which keeps the flesh from drying out. The thin, clear liquid, or "coconut water," can be used in soups or for cooking rice. You can also drink it as is. If it tastes sweet, the coconut is fresh; if it tastes oily, the coconut is rancid and should be discarded.

A delectable new take on the old-fashioned summer shortcake.

The twist to these sundaes is a simple ginger-flavored sauce sparked with lime. It can be made ahead and rewarmed before you assemble the sundaes.

South of Goa, the coastline of Karnataka state is scalloped with palm, mango, and jackfruit trees. This recipe comes from the city of Mangalore, where it is usually made with bangade, a small fish resembling smelt. We used salmon for this curry. And, when we can find them, we toss in about 10 fresh curry leaves along with the onion, garlic, and gingerroot.

Coffee cakes rank among the most popular of comfort foods, welcomed at breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and as the name indicates, coffee breaks. A coffee cake batter is generally more liquid than a quick bread one and contains a bit more sugar, and as a result, the final product is lighter and moister. On the other hand, coffee cakes tend to be less sweet than butter cakes. There are many versions of kuchen, this streusel-topped sour cream type being a very popular one. It is commonly served at the meal following Yom Kippur, or Shavuot, and on Sabbath afternoons or the melaveh malcha ("accompanying the queen") party following the Sabbath. For the later occasion, spices are added to the batter and topping, reflecting those used during the havdallah ceremony signaling the end of the Sabbath.

A chewy coconut meringue "crust" and rich chocolate mousse filling make this delicious, inventive Australian dessert taste like a combination of coconut cream pie and chocolate cream pie.

"I've had some unforgettable meals during my travels," writes Chris Forney of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, "but I've never felt compelled to request a recipe from Bon Appétit until now. While in Charleston, South Carolina, recently, my wife and I ate at the Peninsula Grill. I can't stop thinking about the coconut cake I had for dessert there." This impressive-looking cake will delight coconut-lovers. The filling needs to chill overnight, so be sure to begin preparing this dessert a day ahead of time.

Here's a simple way to make a scrumptious coconut cake: Take a boxed cake mix, add Coco Lòpez and top with flaked coconut.

"This recipe for Swedish drommar, meaning 'dreams,' comes from my grandmother," writes Elizabeth Wigg Maxwell of New Providence, New Jersey. "She and my mother made these every Christmas when my siblings and I were growing up. As children, we were amazed that my mother had to go to the pharmacy to obtain one of the ingredients: ammonium carbonate. Equally incredible was the fact that something which smelled so horrible helped make such delicious cookies!" "Years ago, I began baking drommar for my own family. I called the local pharmacy to request the unusual ingredient and was delighted when the pharmacist said, 'You must be making those Swedish cookies!'" Ammonium carbonate, used by European bakers, makes especially crisp cookies. Its smell, which you may find off-putting while making the dough, disappears completely in the baking process.

Shaped in muffin cups, these cookies have a crisp pie-pastry bottom and a chewy jam-accented coconut filling.

Coconut and chocolate team up in the filling of this impressive cheesecake, which also has a chocolate cookie crust. Begin making the cake a day before serving.

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