Baking

If at any point the dough gets too soft to work with or begins to shrink, refrigerate for 15 minutes before proceeding.

To make one 10-inch cake, melt 2 teaspoons butter in the skillet before adding the batter, and bake for 35 minutes.

This recipe makes 3 peach and 3 cherry crisps. The ice cream is made by mixing cinnamon into store-bought vanilla ice cream and refreezing it. We call for fresh cherries, but frozen ones will work just as well; you’ll need to adjust amounts in step 3: Reduce the brown sugar to 1/3 cup and increase the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons.

This recipe is versatile. You can use any firm-flesh pears or apples—or a combination; just be sure the size of the fruits you use is uniform. You can also try another dry whole spice (such as cinnamon or cloves) in place of the star anise.

Season the chicken a day ahead so it has time to absorb the flavors.