Nut

This recipe calls for natural peanut butter, which has less sugar than regular and gives the cookies a richer peanut flavor.

To achieve the greatest volume, whisk the egg whites in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water until just warm to the touch.

Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

You can make puff pastry from scratch by following the recipes on page 653 or 654.

Purchase high-quality pistachios, and pick through the nuts for the greenest ones. After roasting, rub the nuts between your palms to eliminate as much of the brown skin as possible.

This cake is best when served the day it is made. You can bake the cake in the morning and finish it later in the day. It can stand in a cool place for about 3 hours before serving. Marrons glacés (whole candied chestnuts) are available in specialty food stores.

For Valentine’s Day, bake the layers in two 9-inch heart-shaped cake pans.

Toast and peel the nuts for the cake and the garnish (recipe follows) at the same time. Bake the cake up to 3 days ahead; wrap well and keep at room temperature. The candied hazelnuts and chocolate curls can also be made 3 days ahead; store in airtight containers.

The chocolate glaze takes time to cool; have it ready before assembling the torte. This ganache thickens as it sits. The ganache used for the Inside-Out German Chocolate Torte and in step 7 of the Belgian Chocolate Birthday Cake (page 507) should be pourable but thick enough to fully coat the cakes.

The candied orange peel can be made up to 3 weeks ahead; store it with the cooking syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The buckwheat flour adds a deep, assertive flavor to this dessert; the flour is also highly nutritious.