Baking

A beautiful dessert for the December entertaining season.

Chill the orange curd overnight before using.

A staple in some Texas bakeries, Chile Brownies are spicy and sweet, a combination perhaps unfamiliar to, well, other folks (aka Yankees). While kids might prefer simpler brownies, these have a peppery kick many grown-ups adore. We didn't skimp on the chocolate by an ounce. These brownies would be perfect after a barbecue dinner, a fajita supper, or a chile cook-off.

This cheesecake is very light and fluffy, unlike more traditional cheesecakes, which are creamy and dense.

A wonderfully homey cake that's equally good with afternoon tea, after a meal, or for breakfast with a cup of Italian roast coffee. Maple sugar is available at some supermarkets and at many natural foods stores.

Taste your muffin before you begin to prepare the recipe. If it is not very sweet, you can add another 1/2 tablespoon of molasses. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 6 hr (includes chilling) Chillingsworth, in Brewster on Cape Cod, was one of several restaurants that caused a great deal of mail to flow into our You Asked for It department during the '60s and '70s. This homespun lemon roll is part of its legacy.

We tested this recipe with Lindt, Valrhona, Ghirardelli, and Callebaut bittersweet chocolates, all of which worked equally well. Our favorite, however, was Valrhona, which made for an especially rich-flavored gianduia. For this recipe you will need heavy-duty foil (thicker and wider than regular foil) to waterproof the springform pan.

"My mother, who's affectionately called Muffin, was craving chocolate muffins, but the local bakery had stopped making her favorite ones," writes Julia Bursten of Columbus, Ohio. "I tried to re-create the recipe, and she claims these are the best she's ever had." Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr

When Archibald makes this recipe, she uses a kind of apple called Yellow Transparent, grown in the Pacific Northwest. We substituted Macouns, Fujis, and Jonagolds (which hold their shape during baking), all with great success.

Here's a terrific quick bread for any time of day. If there's any left over, this bread is great when lightly toasted and spread with some cream cheese. For an added tart flavor, substitute cranberries for half the apples.

The rich, fruity sweetness of a late-harvest Riesling (added to a syrup that is drizzled over the free-form tart) beautifully complements the natural sugars in roasted pears.

This tart is a great last-minute dessert for just about any meal, and it's quite possible you have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now. Grind your own crumbs if you've got whole graham crackers on hand.

"In our family," writes Georgia I. Chletcos of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, "we have a saying that the Greek kitchen is the original twenty-four-hour diner: It never closes. And being from a Greek family, I can say unequivocally that food is the center of our lives. The great thing about these home-style dishes is that they're generous to the cook and to everyone else: You don't have to be a pro to prepare them, there's always plenty to share, and you'll have a delicious meal on the table in no time."

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

These fudgy treats, also known as crinkles, get their name from the small wrinkles that develop on top as they bake.