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This beautiful torte can be prepared three days before serving.

(Southern German and Alsatian Italian Plum Torte) This torte is served traditionally at the high holidays in early fall, when small blue Italian plums are in season. In southern Germany and Alsace the pie was made from zwetsche, a local variety of these plums. My aunt Lisl always used to make a murbeteig crust (a short-crust butter cookie dought) for this tart, and sliced each Italian plum into four crescent shapes. She lined the tart with breadcrumbs and then apricot preserves, which protected the dough during baking, leading to a crispy crust. She went light on the cinnamon, a spice she felt was overused in this country. (I agree with her.) My aunt's results, simple to prepare, were simply delicious.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended preparation time.

The origin of this luscious dessert, which resembles an English trifle (the name translates as "English soup"), is most likely with the homesick Victorians who fled the cold English climate for the warmth of Italy. In this signature Neapolitan version, the sponge cake is soaked with rum and layered with chocolate-cinnamon and vanilla-orange custards. If you can't find sponge cake, two pound cakes can be used. For a decorative touch, pipe a whipped cream border around the edge of the dessert before serving.

This flavorful entrée is very low in fat.

Begin with melon slices and prosciutto; alongside the soup, serve baguette slices with a garlic and herb cheese spread, then offer macaroons and apricots afterward.

Arugula adds zip to this creamy risotto.

Dried cherries and apricots highlight this impressive version of a southern classic.

A real oldie, this recipe. I first learned to make this cheesecake when I was working for a now-defunct caterer to support my then-career—acting. My job was to make what seemed like hundreds of these cheesecakes, which we also sold retail. After I moved to Los Angeles, far from the catering kitchen (located in the basement of a rock 'n roll club!) I went for years without making another cheesecake. One day, while cleaning out files that had moved across the country many times, I came across my recipe written on the back of a paper towel. Cheesecake. It seemed so corny and so old-fashioned, and it is. It is also still so good.