Baking

Passover without macaroons is like Rosh Hashanah without sweet honey cake or Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. Sephardic macaroons use lemon zest for flavoring rather than almond extract. The secret to good macaroons is beating the egg whites just right and not overbaking the cookies.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

(Klejner) Every year research editor Karen Hallal serves these spiced diamond-shaped cookies for dessert on Christmas Eve. They are fried like doughnuts and coated with powdered sugar. The recipe for klejner, popular all over Scandinavia, was given to Karen by her Danish mother.

We call for English-style bitter orange marmalade (made with Seville oranges and often called Dundee) because other types made the ice cream too sweet and too soft. It's available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets. This recipe makes about a dozen more florentines than you'll need for the sandwiches, but it's a good idea to have extra in case one or two break — and the cookies are delicious even without the ice cream. Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 7 hr (includes freezing)

Phyllo dough gives this dessert a crisp texture that contrasts nicely with the smooth lemon filling.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Chewy crusts are filled with a sweet-tart lime curd and topped with sliced mangoes.

Using purchased ready-to-bake bread dough makes this super-easy to prepare.

(GALETTE DE POMMES A L'ORANGE) A country-style fruit tart with a lattice top.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's a terrific twist on the classic fruit-and-shortcake theme.

Lime and grapefruit juices enhance the creamy white-chocolate filling in this treat.