Chocolate

Melting the chocolate in the pear poaching liquid makes an instant sauce.

Espresso and a selection of favorite liqueurs are good with the brownies.

Reminiscent of fragrant Mexican chocolate (which is spiced with cinnamon), and as fudgy as a chocolate truffle, this dessert will serve many more than six, but leftovers will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.

These ultra-rich and sophisticated chocolate tartlets are served at Bittersweet Pastry Shop.

What to drink: Offer robust French roast coffee, but also a vintage or ruby Port.

If you like the candies called Turtles, you'll love this tart. It needs to be refrigerated at least eight hours before serving.

If Original Sin were a cake, this would be it.

This is it, the decadent pie that seduced the seductive Marilyn Monroe. She simply couldn't get enough of it. Patch brought this recipe with him from Arkansas, where it was named for his sister Milton.

Parfait is the French word for "perfect," and these elegant little treats live up to the billing. Served straight from the freezer, their texture is similar to ice cream's, but they take on a mousselike consistency when thawed for a minute or two on the plate.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Flourless Chocolate-Orange Almond Cake .

The combination of salty, sweet, crunchy, and smooth gives these confections a special place in my heart. That, added to the fact that they made an appearance at every bridge and mahjongg game my mother ever hosted, elevates their status to serious nostalgia food. You can find cans of Chinese chow-mein noodles in the Asian food section of the supermarket. The ones you want are cooked and ready to eat like crackers.

A "wee dram" enhances the lovely filling.

A mug of hot chocolate or a glass of milk would complement these updated, sophisticated chocolate chip cookies.

This family recipe is wonderful for dessert, breakfast or tea.

Dried sour cherries and a hint of cinnamon add an original twist to a tried-and-true standby. And you don't even need a mixing bowl: The batter is made in the saucepan with the melted chocolate.