Baking

Begin making this one day before serving.

Raw sugar can be found in the baking aisle.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Tiramisú Eggnog Trifle .

"Here in Seattle, there's a place called 60th Street Desserts that makes fabulous lemon shortbread bars; the cookies are both sweet and tart," says Lucille van der Hagen of Seattle, WA. "Could you ask Joan Williams, the owner, for the recipe?" A crumb topping makes a nice addition to the classic bar cookie. Prepare the filling while the crust is baking; if the crust cools before the lemon filling is poured over it, the filling might seep beneath the crust.

"My mother and I spent a recent afternoon shopping in Gruene, a small town not far from Austin," writes Martha Witebsky of Austin, Texas. "We loved the tender, fruity cake we had at the River House Tea Room. Would chef Carol Hill share the recipe for what she calls Hummingbird Cake?"

Just about every book we've ever seen on southwest cooking includes a recipe for one of the spicy cornbreads of the region. Once you've tasted one, you'll know why — they are really delicious. This version is more of a pudding than a bread because it is quite moist and cheesy in texture. It makes a wonderful side dish to replace potatoes or rice, or it is quite satisfying eaten as a light entrée or lunch with a salad of fresh young greens.

Make oatmeal-cookie crumbs by blending cookies in a processor until finely ground.

Pastéis de Nata These tarts are best when baked in 1/3-cup muffin cups. However, since many manufacturers have increased the size of their standard tins, we also tested the tarts in 1/2-cup muffin cups. In those cups, the pastry dough doesn't reach the tops, resulting in rather squat tarts.

Strawberries marinated in a vanilla-orange syrup add a new twist to these sponge-cake shortcakes. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish : 2 1/2 hr

Great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Save any scraps of this dough to create a decorative design for the top of the pie.

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.