Electric Mixer

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 4 hr (includes cooling)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Root vegetables were often used to lend sweetness to eighteenth-century cakes and puddings. The carrot cake layers in this recipe are sandwiched with marmalade and iced with a cream cheese frosting.

The rich flavors in this moist cake intensify with a little bit of age. Though the Armagnac toffee sauce and Armagnac ice cream make festive partners, leftover cake is excellent served plain with tea or coffee. To give extra height to the cake, we call for an 11-cup Kugelhopf pan, a taller-than-ordinary bundt pan (available by mail order from Bridge Kitchenware, tel. 800-274-3435 or 212-838-1901). You may also use a regular 11-cup bundt pan for a slightly broader cake.

Cream of coconut is added to the batter and the whipped cream frosting. You can make and chill the cake up to one day ahead.

"I literally didn't know how to boil an egg until I was in my 20s — when I tried to impress a guy by making dinner for him," writes Sally Siegel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "I didn't have much success with the dinner or the guy, but I regrouped and put together a repertoire of fairly elegant dishes I felt confident making. Over the years, my cooking style has become more casual; I make dishes that are not too demanding, but still special for company."

Make the cake a day ahead so that it has plenty of time to chill.

This recipe works best with Valrhona, Callebaut, or Lindt chocolate. The rich, slightly dense soufflés are made even more decadent when topped with the creamy caramel.

The almond biscotti for the easy crust are available at supermarkets, bakeries and Italian markets. The recipe is from chef Kimball Jones of Wente Vineyards Restaurant in Livermore, California.

Mashed banana gives this dessert extra moistness.

Tall and beautiful, sweet and tart, this cake has lots of lemon flavor and plenty of style, too. It's the perfect finale for a St. Patrick's Day dinner or other special occasion.

The hors d¸oeuvres may be made 1-1/2 hours in advance and kept covered loosely and chilled.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 40 min

Use this focaccia to make Sausage, Bell Pepper, and Onion Sandwiches and Genoa Toasts.