Baking

Joe Dion of North Charleston, South Carolina, writes: "Because I work in a restaurant (I'm a chef at a place called Slightly North of Broad in Charleston), I don't let my cooking at home get too complicated. I'm at the restaurant five days a week and often work on weekends, but whenever I have the chance I enjoy getting together with friends and cooking for them." Frozen puff pastry simplifies this dessert.

An interesting mix of brown sugar, pecans, and sea salt fills this woven lattice-top bread. You'll need a heavy-duty stand mixer with paddle attachment.

These sweet-crisp cookies can be baked days ahead and, because the recipe is so generous, you can send your guests home with some.

Cynthia Knauer of Allentown, Pennsylvania, writes: "I remember this moist, flavorful cake from my childhood. When I bake it for my family now, it doesn't even last a day — we nibble on it every time we pass through the kitchen. Because it's quick to make and requires no icing, it's a great dessert to take on picnics and other outings." Cynthia Knauer is the mother of our recipe cross-tester, Ian Knauer. She sometimes serves her cake with whipped cream and strawberries, but it's also delicious on its own.

Cardamom loses flavor and aroma quickly, so be sure to store it in an airtight container in a cool dry place — never near your stove. Because the cornstarch in confectioners sugar isn't kosher for Passover, we powdered granulated sugar in an electric coffee/spice grinder and mixed it with potato starch for a similar effect.

California dried apricots are essential for this recipe — they have the tartness needed to balance the sweet filling and macaroon layers. Don't assemble this cake ahead or the crisp macaroon layers will get soggy.

Daryl Getman of New York City, NY, writes: "I'm a second-year theater student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, so most days are more about running from class to rehearsal to a performance than they are about cooking. But since I moved out of the dorms last year, cooking has become my favorite distraction. And on the weekends, it's my idea of a break." Top the moist squares with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Begin preparing the cake one day ahead.

These rich cheese puffs resemble gougères, with tangy Stilton taking the place of Gruyère.

Bake the cheesecake at least one day ahead so that it has enough time to chill.

Don't be concerned if the pudding cracks a bit when you invert it onto the plate; it will taste just as good.

The bubbles in the stout act as a leavening agent, so only a small amount of baking soda is needed for the rich, moist cake to rise.

This is my friend Paule Caillat's recipe, with its meltingly tender all-butter crust. Instructions for poaching fresh pears are included, but if you want to save time, do what Paule and other French women in a hurry do — use canned pear halves. Just drain the canned pears, dry them very well, and carry on.