Electric Mixer

This fluffy puree makes a sumptuous side dish, as well as a creamy base on which to serve pan-seared salmon or scallops.

The shortbread cookie crumbs will hold together in the pan without any additional butter. Fromage blanc gives this cheesecake a light and silky texture.

This version of blini—a tribute to the Russian communities throughout the New York metropolitan area—is fast because it does not require yeast. If buckwheat flour is unavailable, whole-wheat flour makes a good substitute.

Using frozen blueberries in the batter will keep the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the pan as the cake bakes.

It was years ago that Charles Fenyvesi first told me about this extraordinary layered honey torte. Jenny was deported to Auschwitz, where she died. Mr. Fenyvesi's mother experimented for twenty years until she came up with the following formula. Here is the recipe, a tribute to Hungarian Jewry and to Mr. Fenyvesi's late cousin Jenny.

Whenever you serve this lightly spiced, moist buttermilk layer cake you'll turn dessert into a celebration. The spices in the cake mellow as it stands, so it's even better the day after baking.

Founded in Boston in the nineteenth century, Schrafft's shops soon became renowned for the quality of their candies, ice creams, and especially their cookies. Eventually they opened several stores in New York City, but according to food writer and food historian Judith Jones, true Schrafft's cookie aficionados believed that the Boston version of their oatmeal cookies was superior, and so they would travel to Boston by train to buy them. This recipe is based on the original Schrafft's formula but I've added some dark brown sugar for the rich color and flavor that it imparts. This is a soft, pleasantly chewy cookie, with plenty of raisins and nuts.

Sometimes seen with a lemon filling, this is one of the oldest "fancy" layer cakes and a great southern tradition. The fresh coconut makes you realize why this cake has always been special.

Chocolate syrup and mini chocolate chips pack in the flavor for these tender, pecan-accented cookies. They're great with a cup of espresso or regular coffee.

(MADELEINES) While researching this book, I became fixated, absolutely fanatical, about madeleines, the plump golden tea cakes shaped like scallop shells. They were something to boost my spirits on the days when I walked for miles sleuthing in search of culinary jewels. I tasted dozens of madeleines, but only a few were "just right." The best, freshest madeleine has a dry, almost dusty taste when eaten on its own. One of my favorite versions is made by André Lerch, an Alsatian baker with a bread and pastry shop on the Left Bank. To be truly appreciated — to "invade the senses with exquisite pleasure" as they did for Marcel Proust — Madeleines must be dipped in tea, ideally the slightly lime-flavoured tilleul, which releases the fragrant, flavorful lemon essence of the little tea cake. Special madeleine tins can be found in all the French restaurant supply shops and in the housewares section of department stores. The following is a recipe I developed.

Tender, moist and quick to put together.

Mint chip ice cream (or the flavor of your choice) is the filling between tender chocolate cookies that have been dipped halfway into white chocolate.