Baking

Rare is the serious restaurant-goer who ventures into an unfamiliar city without a copy of the local Zagat Survey. Tim and Nina Zagat published their first guide back in 1979, and since then, their burgundy pocket-size compendiums of consumer opinion have led millions to the best dining rooms in the world. Over the years, the Zagats have had hundreds of stunning restaurant desserts, but for Nina, nothing is as well remembered as her grandmother's apple pie. "She only believed in the basics: good apples, sugar, a squeeze of lemon," says Nina. "Even cinnamon was suspect. I used to bake the pies with her, and I loved to make sweet little things from the leftover pastry scraps. She baked the pies in a wood stove and they always came out perfectly." In honor of such grandmotherly comforts, here is a beautiful and delicious pie to serve with vanilla ice cream or slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Miniature Tourtières Every French-Canadian home serves a version of tourtière during the holidays. Various thickeners (such as flour, crushed crackers, or even oats) can be used to bind the filling. Our version is made with flour, and the filling is enclosed in a tender biscuit crust. We decorated our pies with a maple-leaf-shaped cutout.*

At the turn of the century, folks were feeling devilish, no longer satisfied with angel food cake, the evangelical treat of the late 1800s. They wanted chocolate and plenty of it, and devil's food cake filled the bill.

Tender shortcakes accented with fresh and candied ginger are delicious complements to the strawberry filling.

This moist orange-flavored soufflé is rich with white chocolate. Offer snifters of orange liqueur to sip alongside.

In this terrific take on the classic Linzer-torte, an almond-cinnamon cookie crust is the delicious base for layers of chocolate and raspberries with raspberry jam. Cookie-crust stars top the whole thing off.

Serve with a watermelon, kiwi fruit and grape salad. You can save any leftovers for an afternoon snack with coffee.

This appealing do-ahead dessert, perfect for a picnic, can be formed ahead and frozen. Just thaw, then bake and cool.

Although they are baked, these intensely chocolaty bar cookies resemble fudge more than brownies. To retain the creamy texture, keep them in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to a week. If the bars are refrigerated, their texture will become more dense.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Like cobbler, but even better. This is crowned with cinnamon shortcakes—slightly crisp on the outside and delicate within—that require no kneading or rolling. We call for frozen peach slices, so this is a year-round treat.

These delicate crisps resemble rolled tuiles. Using an offset spatula makes spreading the batter much easier.