Baking

"Many of my friends are chocolate lovers, and this recipe seems to do the trick every time," writes Ann Bolger of East Lansing, Michigan.

The following corn bread is not to be eaten on its own; it's meant for stuffing, so we've deliberately made it dry.

Delicate cookies and purchased ice cream produce a grown-up version of a playground favorite.

Sweet Butter Pastries This recipe is based on the version of the Breton classic found in Anne Willan's L'Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne. The butter-rich dough gives a result akin to Danish pastry but more rustic.

Called panadas, these little pastries make wonderful hors d'oeuvres.

These pretty rolls are baked side by side in cake pans. To serve, turn the rolls out of the pans, and let your guests pull them apart.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Mocha custards are the "coffee" part of this whimsical "coffee and doughnuts" dessert.

Refrigerate the flans overnight before serving.

"My husband, Don, and I made dinners together when we were first getting to know each other," writes Lisa Pendelton of Pasadena, California. "I was surprised to discover that everything from food shopping to sharing in the kitchen came so naturally to him. We had a lot of great meals, and once he spent all day making me a bouillabaisse for my birthday. That's when I knew I could definitely marry him."

This beautiful tart features a pastry the Italians call pasta frolla — the texture of the dough is more like cookie dough than traditional French-style pastry. The lattice crust is surprisingly easy to make because it doesn't require weaving the strips. Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 5 hr

Savory tarts and quiches are traditional in Alsace cooking. The tart and the<epi:recipelink id="102385">Salade Vigneronne epi:recipelinkcan be enjoyed as separate courses, or together.</epi:recipelink></epi:recipelink>

This recipe was created to prepare <epi:recipeLink ="14264">Apricot Almond Shortbreads</epi:recipeLink>.<P> You will need three mini-muffin pans, each containing twelve 1 3/4-by-1 inch cups.

If you can't find blood oranges in your supermarket, you can substitute regular navel oranges in both the tart and the Orange Caramel Sauce.

These are favorites in Mexico and Russia.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 45 min

This dessert has a baked chocolate-cookie crust and a chilled light-and-fluffy filling of pureed fresh raspberries folded into whipped mascarpone cheese.