Baking

Pasta frolla (Italian for “short pastry”) is the basic pastry dough of Italy. Our recipe yields enough dough for 2 crostata (you’ll need to double the pumpkin and ricotta filling).

Marcona almonds are grown in Spain and known for their buttery flavor. Fleur de sel is a French sea salt, but another good-quality coarse salt can be used in its place.

We made this flan in a 4-cup savarin mold, but a 9 × 2-inch round cake pan or a 9-inch glass pie plate can be used as well.

Allowing the bread to soak in the custard batter for a full hour is the secret to a good bread-and-butter pudding.

With its chewy exterior and warm, puddinglike center, this dessert might be considered the more refined cousin of molten cake. With or without crème anglaise, it’s a showstopper.