Pie

(Dark Chocolate Mousse Pies)

When cleaning any fresh berries, place in a strainer, rinse very lightly with the sink spray hose, shake the strainer to drain water and gently pat dry with paper towels.

(Pastiera Napoletana) "My mother, who is a native of Calabria, Italy, but now resides in Brooklyn, learned to make the Neapolitan specialty, pastiera napoletana, from her sister-in-law when my parents were married, in 1941," writes Marie Pacella of Howard Beach, New York. "Since then, our family and close friends look forward to having this pie every Easter. My mother and my daughter and I still get together to make them—it has become a family tradition.

For a shiny finish, brush the warm tart with melted apricot preserves.

This crust is an excellent choice for double-crust fruit pies. For a single-crust pie, simply divide the recipe in half. The dough may also be used for tartlets

Both the use of butter and shortening make for a flaky pie crust. It is best to refrigerate the dough overnight if possible for ease in rolling it out between two sheets of lightly floured wax paper.

Serve this slightly warm or at room temperature. Either way, it's fantastic with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

For best results, choose ripe yellow bananas that do not have brown speckles on their skins. This dessert is great served either slightly warm or at room temperature.

An intriguing dessert from Restaurant Le Beaujolais in Banff, Alberta, Canada. For the best flavor, be sure to serve the tart warm.

A quick almond crust gets filled with ice cream and topped with cardamom-scented whipped cream and berries.

Lime and grapefruit juices enhance the creamy white-chocolate filling in this treat.

The key to a good flaky pie crust is using a combination of butter for flavor and vegetable shortening for flakiness. This recipe makes enough for one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies.

Allow at least three hours for the pie to chill in the refrigerator.