Cream Cheese

"A few weeks before my best friend’s wedding in San Francisco, I flew into town for her bridal shower," writes Constance Stevenson of Portland, Oregon. "The luncheon was catered by Thymes Two Catering. For dessert, they served an elegant blueberry and lemon layer cake with a tangy lemon frosting."

Every small town in Georgia seems to have its own peanut-dessert specialty for the holidays. This one features a creamy no-bake peanut butter filling in a crisp chocolate-crumb crust.

Blackberries turn a familiar spice cake into a sophisticated finale.

"I had a wonderful dinner at the Ligonier Tavern in Ligonier, Pennsylvania," writes Heather McCarthy of Pittsburgh. "The starter — an artichoke dip — stands out most in my memory. Any chance that chef David Cassler would share his recipe?"

"My mother and I spent a recent afternoon shopping in Gruene, a small town not far from Austin," writes Martha Witebsky of Austin, Texas. "We loved the tender, fruity cake we had at the River House Tea Room. Would chef Carol Hill share the recipe for what she calls Hummingbird Cake?"

Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr (includes freezing)

Nigella Lawson If we're talking about family favorites, I couldn't leave liptauer out. It was the deli counter delicacy of my childhood and another eating item I'd all but forgotten about. But something made me remember it, and from taste-memory and some notes from the kitchen book inherited by my friend Olivia from her mother, I tried my hand at making it myself. I can confidently and categorically state that it's not some sentimental yearning that makes me want to see its comeback. You don't need to go in for the retro-molding here, just mix the ingredients and plonk them in a bowl if you like; but whatever, this glorious cream cheese, caper, caraway seed, and paprika combination, spread over sour black bread or — if you don't have the genetic taste for it — over slices of any dark or brown bread that you can get from the supermarket, is rhapsodically unbeatable.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

Bake this at least one day ahead.

Serve this dense, moist cake with a big bowl of lightly sweetened strawberries.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Crunchy hazelnut praline adds a touch of sophistication to this rich cheesecake. Begin preparing the cake a day before serving.

Blended in the processor, the no-bake cream cheese filling is ultra-smooth.

You can start making these savory cookies up to three days ahead. Even easier: Serve the cheese roll with store-bought crackers. (We especially liked this roulade made with a spiced cranberry-apple chutney, but any thick chutney will work.)

This brownie, baked in a tart pan, gets its moistness from cream cheese and its fudginess from the best-quality cocoa and chocolate. Little puddles of ganache are poured into holes made in the brownie, after it has baked, with a the handle of a wooden spoon. Chocolate doesn't get better than this.

This needs to chill overnight, so plan accordingly.