Bon Appétit

Short of time? Then skip the broiling, and serve the crostini cold.

A rich and elegant special-occasion dish.

A simple nut crust and a smooth caramel sauce are all the preparation required for this impressive dessert. Be sure to start making it at least 12 hours before serving.

The rich flavor of espresso is a perfect partner to the chocolate. Place each piece of fudge in a paper or foil candy cup and arrange in gift boxes lined with holiday paper.

A sweet summer treat that comes together quickly (nectarines rarely need peeling). You may want to serve ice cream alongside, but some softly whipped cream is also delicious.

Here's a sophisticated but easy desert.

Usually made of mashed potatoes, garlic and olive oil, skordalia is a thick sauce served with meats, fish, fritters or greens.

Stew made with lamb may be known as the national dish, but beef is actually the most popular meat today. It turns up everywhere, including Tinakilly House in Rathnew, Ireland, where they offer this lovely dish. It's served with Champ (Green Onion Mashed Potatoes).

Soda fountains were a natural fit in drugstores because the skills of an old-time pharmacist, who actually manufactured medicine, translated seamlessly into the skills of a confectioner who concocted exotic syrups for sodas, phosphates, sundaes, and milkshakes. Nowadays, most vintage soda fountains buy their syrups ready made. But there is one sweetshop treat that no one has yet been able to bottle or package so it tastes as good as a batch fresh off the stove: hot fudge sauce.

End the Christmas celebration with this spectacular dessert: a dense fudge-like cake covered with a luscious white chocolate and tangerine mousse.

A great brunch treat.

This satisfying, old-fashioned cake has a delicious ripple of brown sugar and walnuts running through it.

Haricots verts (small, thin French green beans) would also be nice as a side dish, but regular green beans would be fine, too.

This dessert looks like a cobbler or pie, but it has the texture of a cake. Top it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.