Vanilla

Making bread pudding is a good way to use up day-old bread. Gary Rhodes creates this sensational version of the classic English dessert with cream, milk and egg yolks, so it is ultra-rich.

(Panna Cotta con Salsa di Fragole al Vin Santo) As tiramisù became the Italian restaurant dessert of the 1980s, so did panna cotta take over in the 1990s. The original recipe for "cooked cream" comes from Piedmont, but Tuscans have appropriated it. Their version of the eggless custard is often topped with honey and pine nuts, since the Tuscan city of Pisa is Europe's largest producer of pinoli. This recipe incorporates those ingredients into the custard, then tops it off with a delicious strawberry sauce laced with Vin Santo, the cherished dessert wine of the region. Begin making this one day ahead.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 10 hr (includes soaking raisins)

Breakfast in Italy is a sweet and simple affair that typically consists of a cup of cappuccino and a pastry. This cake is like tender shortbread.

(Vanilla Custard Sauce)Use the left-over eggs yolks from Rosewater Angel Food Cake to make this dessert sauce. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

The following cupcake recipe is adapted from a rich chocolate cake first served in the late 1890s at the Wellesley Tea Room, a genteel establishment catering to students at the well-know Massachusetts women's college. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe, given to me by my aunt, was given to her by her mother. Everyone agrees that it is absolutely delicious. The contrast between a sweet cake and a slightly spicy apple filling is piquant and delightful. The cake layers resemble large sugar cookies.

When I was a little girl, my Aunt Lisl always made butter cookies at Hanukkah time. We decorated them. The cookies were stored in her garage in airtight containers. Sometimes we got to take some of them home. Other times, we just nibbled on them at her house. One of the best things about cooking with relatives is that it's a great time to ask for family stories. While we baked, Aunt Lisl told wonderful tales of my father's boyhood in Germany.

Though cheese blintzes rate as an all-time favorite in my family, I don't always have the time to prepare them in the usual fashion. Therefore, I created the following casserole, which has a fantastic flavor very similar to blintzes (some say it's even better); yet it takes only a few minutes to prepare. In fact, I make it often throughout the year. It is quite different from the popular cheese blintz casseroles made with frozen commercial blintzes. For my version, a layer of cheese filling is baked between two light layers of a special blintz-type batter. The casserole is then cut into squares for serving, making it a perfect choice for a dairy buffet and great for Shavuot. Since the first edition of this book was published, this layered blintz casserole has proven to be one of its most popular recipes. The dish is served at the famous Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, where it has become a favorite brunch offering under the name "Easy Cheese Blintz Puff." And the recipe has appeared in a number of books and magazines. Like some of the other "creative" recipes in this book, this one appears to be on its way to becoming a classic of "new" Jewish cooking. <a name="note"></a>Notes: The types of cheese in the filling were determined after much experimentation with various mixtures. It is the best combination to produce the desired results of separate layers. The top of this casserole is rather plain. If desired, it may be sprinkled lightly with cinnamon or cinnamon-sugar before the casserole is returned to the oven for the final baking.

This recipe originally accompanied <epirecipe:link id="15601">Fried Banana Ravioli with Vanilla Custard Sauce</epirecipe:link>.

Carl Taplin of Gott's Island, Maine, writes: "Every summer, I look forward to homemade vanilla ice cream. Do you have a favorite recipe for it?"

Try the compote on pound cake, too.

White chocolate custard tops espresso custard in this luxurious make-ahead dessert. It's pretty garnished with fresh strawberries and coffee beans.

(CREPES DE NOIX AUX FRAMBOISE ET FIGUES) In Provence, crepes are often served simply, embellished with sugar, jam or liqueur. Here, they get dressed up a bit more.