Baking

This dessert can be transformed to fit occasions other than Valentine's Day. Try experimenting with round, square, or triangular meringue shapes. And even though you'll only need 4 meringue layers, the recipe calls for 6—thus allowing for the possibility of breakage…or snacks! We loved the look of passion-fruit seeds and sparkling, ruby-red pomegranate seeds (along with a bit of juice) as a garnish, but you could substitute fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries.

For this recipe you will need two mini-muffin pans, each containing twelve 1 3/4 x 1-inch cups.

Malta This thin, cookie-like tart with a lattice crust is offered on a feast day that commemorates the birth of the Virgin Mary and the exit of the Turks in 1565.

An old-fashioned cake gets a new treatment: Some of the trimmed cake crumbs are mixed with chocolate-cookie crumbs and pressed onto the frosting. Fresh raspberries are the colorful crowning touch.

Start preparing the custards one day before you plan to serve them.

Capirotada The cheese in this recipe melts into the pudding and contributes more texture than flavor.

There's extra crunch in the topping from lots of sliced almonds. Vanilla ice cream is good with this.

Here, grapes top rounds of puff pastry (purchased, for ease), which form the crust of the two rustic tarts.

Golden Delicious apples are used for this autumnal dessert, but Rome Beauties work well, too.

Ana Garcia of Cuernavaca, Mexico, writes: "My great-grandmother, Josefina, was a highly regarded butcher, and she taught me the communal style of cooking that Mexico is known for. That's one of the reasons I opened my own cooking school, La Villa Bonita — to show others how authentic Mexican cuisine is prepared, as opposed to the usual tacos, burritos, and Tex-Mex dishes. "My husband, Robb, and I also run our own restaurant, Reposado. He insisted that we open the place because he thought my recipes deserved a wider audience. At the restaurant I like to experiment — the menu at Reposado is nouvelle Mexican — but at my cooking school I feature more traditional recipes. Working at both places gives me the chance to show off both cooking styles. " Unlike the classic delicate flans, these are made with condensed milk and cream cheese, which results in a rich texture.

When cleaning any fresh berries, place in a strainer, rinse very lightly with the sink spray hose, shake the strainer to drain water and gently pat dry with paper towels.