Baking

Serve any leftovers for breakfast or a late-afternoon snack.

France's classic flourless chocolate cake is a perennial favorite on dessert lists. Ours has a trendy tropical garnish of mango and crystallized ginger and is served warm.

Old-fashioned upside-down cake was everywhere last year, modernized with a variety of fruit and spice combinations.

Carrot cakes have been a part of American baking for years, and they remain a favorite dessert in the heartland. This version has a hint of orange from the juice and peel and lots of the rich cream cheese frosting that everyone expects (and loves). Thin orange peel strips make a pretty garnish.

The crust of this gorgeous dessert is brushed with a layer of melted milk chocolate for a sweet surprise.

If you don't have tartlet pans, you can make one large shortcake in an eight-inch-diameter pan and then cut the cake into wedges.

When making the following dish, start one or two days ahead to allow time for marinating the pheasant and making stock. The extra time involved, much of it unattended, is necessary to develop the rich flavors of this savory pie. For those who want to forgo the pheasant, the pie would also be delicious (and less time-consuming) made with chicken. Substitute 1 pound chicken thighs, 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, and chicken broth; marinate the chicken and prepare the pie in the manner outlined below.

Our food editors dreamed up this variation on a classic theme for our "all-French" issue, published to coincide with the French republic's Bicentennial celebrations.

If making more than 2 pies, do not double this recipe but make multiple batches.

Use to prepare Corn Bread and Chestnut Stuffing, or enjoy this on its own.

These tempting, reduced-fat muffins are a nice way to get started in the morning.

In this easy starter, a mix of tangy blue cheese, chopped toasted walnuts and peppery arugula makes a delicious topping for baguette toasts.

If you don't have individual soufflé dishes, this can be prepared in a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish, in which case the crisp will need to bake for about 55 minutes.