Baking

This lovely finale is from Dwayne Fortier of La Reserve in Houston. Begin preparing it well before serving, as the mousse needs to freeze for at least six hours.

The crusts for the tartlets are as simple as frozen puff pastry cut into small rounds.

(Chocolate Rum Cookies)

These muffins have the comforting flavor of graham crackers, with just a hint of cinnamon and sugar.

Laurie likes to use 1/3 cup each of white cheddar and orange cheddar.

This is best eaten the day it's made — left to sit longer, the cake can get a bit soggy from the fruit.

We seasoned this salad — based on the Middle Eastern bread salad called fattoush — with za'atar, a mixture of salt, sumac, sesame, and thyme.

Prunes and Cognac add moistness and great flavor to this rich chocolate cake.

An easy cake to make, this is lovely topped with spice-scented sautéed pears and sweetened cinnamon-spiced whipped cream.