Baking

Every year for nearly twenty years Gourmet's production director baked this cake for our mailroom manager on his birthday. Suffice it to say that this delectable dessert has stood the test of time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Rich with chocolate and dried apricots, this dessert is a stately yeast-risen cake that requires no kneading and very little attention. When you set it aside in a warm place, it does much of the work by itself. A large bundt or angel food pan can replace the traditional ornate mold.

We loved L.A. chef Mary Sue Milliken's crisp baked-tortilla crackers in her pool-party menu (August 2000). Here, we invent our own version of them.

This crust is an excellent choice for double-crust fruit pies. For a single-crust pie, simply divide the recipe in half. The dough may also be used for tartlets

Both the use of butter and shortening make for a flaky pie crust. It is best to refrigerate the dough overnight if possible for ease in rolling it out between two sheets of lightly floured wax paper.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These oat biscuits—similar to shortbread cookies—are wonderful with seasonal grapes and a good-quality triple-cr
me cheese. Triple-crème is a soft, creamy cow's-milk cheese (with at least 75 percent milk fat) that has a luscious, mild flavor. Because of its natural sweetness, it's perfect with dessert; Pierre Robert, Explorateur, Le Chevrot, or Chaource are all excellent choices.

Serve this slightly warm or at room temperature. Either way, it's fantastic with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

This dense, moist chocolate cake, made with dried pears, is stunning when decorated with gold leaf. Of course, you can always simply top it with chocolate curls.

One of our editors, who was raised in the Midwest, was eager to share her grandmother's recipe for fruit cookies. Although this cookie doesn't look particularly Christmasy, it's apparently a venerable family tradition.

Elegance doesn't come any easier than this treat made with purchased puff pastry.