Pecan

These would make nice presents, too.

The genteel ladies’ tea, at which guests wore hats and white gloves and nibbled tiny sandwiches, was very much a part of home entertaining during the thirties. Borrowed from the British, it was a trend that flickered and then died out, but has now come back in homes and hotels across the country. These modern tea sandwiches are more savory than sweet, and would go well with a glass of Sherry if you’re in need of something a little stronger than Earl Grey.

Boxed spice cake never tasted so good: Fresh pears, crystallized ginger and a sweet nut topping really perk it up. Serve this warm or at room temperature. The topping will be soft when warm; it will be firmer, like southern praline, when cool.

The warm caramel flavors in cola complement the molasses and brown sugar in this cake. The remaining candied kumquats are delicious served over vanilla ice cream. For best results, use Philadelphia-brand cream cheese in the frosting.

Start this a day ahead and freeze overnight. For the crust, blend crumbled vanilla wafer cookies in a processor until crumbs form.

Coconut, lemon rind, and raisins are a bright surprise. "A lot of people buy my cookbook just to get this recipe," says Mrs. Wilkes.

These "cakes" are really festive cookies.

Allowing the batter to chill overnight gives the yeast time for a long, slow rise, which makes the waffles light and crisp and develops their malty flavor. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 9 hr

This rich southern-style pie is great topped with vanilla ice cream.

Tender, moist and quick to put together.

"The last time I was in Texas, where I'm from originally, I had dinner at Zuni Grill on the San Antonio Riverwalk. I felt right at home when I took a bite of the pecans in the clever, southern-style crème brûlée," says Linda M. Dunn of Sparks, Nevada."I'd like to try making it at home." Toasted pecans are sprinkled over the crème brûlée after the sugar is caramelized so that the nuts don't burn. Note that the custards can be prepared two days ahead of time. Caramelize the sugar on top of the custards up to two hours before serving, if you like.

Some people claim that you must be Louisiana-born to master the art of making pralines—those special brown sugar and pecan patties. This cake takes an easier route: The pecans are simply coated in egg white and brown sugar, then roasted.

By doctoring up a purchased brownie mix, Larry came up with a recipe that's always a hit. He claims that people are usually "stunned" at how great-tasting and easy-to-make the brownies are.

Anadama bread, a traditional New England yeast bread made with cornmeal and molasses (said to have been created by a woman from Massachusetts named Anna), is the inspiration for the following muffins. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.