Almond

A perfect double topping for ice cream or frozen yogurt. For gift giving, test program director Lane Crowther places the sauce and the praline in two separate jars, then wraps them in cellophane and ribbons. The praline can also be broken into large pieces and packaged in tins to give as candy.

Loaded with fruit, this dessert is cut and served as you would a cake, but the texture is that of a pudding. To keep the meal kosher when your menu includes meat, omit the whipped cream frosting and serve this with nondairy topping and the berry sauce. Begin the cake a day ahead.

These delectable treats can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. They're great to have on hand for snacks or for serving to unexpected company.

Passover without macaroons is like Rosh Hashanah without sweet honey cake or Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. Sephardic macaroons use lemon zest for flavoring rather than almond extract. The secret to good macaroons is beating the egg whites just right and not overbaking the cookies.

We call for English-style bitter orange marmalade (made with Seville oranges and often called Dundee) because other types made the ice cream too sweet and too soft. It's available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets. This recipe makes about a dozen more florentines than you'll need for the sandwiches, but it's a good idea to have extra in case one or two break — and the cookies are delicious even without the ice cream. Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 7 hr (includes freezing)

The good news here is that there will be leftover ice cream to enjoy at another time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This rich dessert is perfect for the holidays and other special occasions.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

With a crust fashioned after the popular cookie, this tart features a dark and white chocolate mocha filling. It's really more like candy and should be cut into small wedges.

Try these tender butter cookies with some spring or summer fruit for a refreshing finale to any of these entrées.

At the ever-popular Cafe Pasqual's in Santa Fe, chocolate and devilishly hot chile pequín flakes come together in an ice cream not soon forgotten. Our version is rich but almost austere compared to chef Katharine Kagel's original, the recipe for which appears in Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook.

There are a number of variations of this traditional Scandinavian Yuletide drink. Dry red wine, muscatel and sweet vermouth, with aquavit in place of the brandy, may be used. In another version, 2 bottles of dry red wine, preferably Bordeaux, are used with the quantity of aquavit increased to a whole bottle, which is poured over the flaming sugar.

This pesto, from Trapani, in Sicily, is made with almonds and tomato and far less basil than traditional pesto — don't expect it to be green.

(Viscotti di'Mandorla Banana) These viscotti—Sicilian biscotti—come in many flavors; bakeries use food coloring to give customers a visual clue. In this case, yellow equals banana.