Hardlikearmour has accomplished something truly admirable with this recipe; she's made cream puffs approachable. She cleverly presses the food processor into service to cool down the dough and then incorporate the eggs; purists will insist on stirring by hand, but this technique proves the elbow grease method simply isn't necessary. She also uses an extra egg white for her puffs, reserving the yolk for glazing the tops. (Shirley Corriher explains that extra white makes for bigger puffs that don't get too gooey inside, and these certainly fit the bill). The dense cream filling is decidedly more boozy than chocolately, but that was fine with us! Who wouldn't want one of these sugar-dusted puffs to help sustain them while waiting in line for yet another go on the ferris wheel?

The more I shop at the local farmers' market (we have four each week) and find the best sources for local and organic produce, our meals radiate with simple fruits, vegetables, and good-quality meats. Sadly rhubarb is just passing the peak and strawberries are giving way to other summer berries. This is one last hurrah to the first sweet bounty of the season. I'm regretfully used to overly sweetened rhubarb dishes that tend to mask the bite that rhubarb offers. This, thankfully, is not one of those sugar-laden dishes. The rhubarb is delightfully roasted, holds its shape, and is complemented with a delicious syrup. Simplicity at it its finest.

Definitely plan to make your cheesecake 24 hours before you plan to serve it. It's important that it have ample time to cool completely and set up.

With this dessert, you only need a small piece. It is that rich. And that delicious. A little goes a long way.

A mascarpone-frosted banana cake with a kick of rum.

The most delicious mess you'll ever make.

Like lemon meringue pie, but -- if you can believe it -- even more impressive.

This almond cake bakes up a lovely golden brown, perfumed and moistened by the orange-flower water syrup. Almond meal lends the cake a hearty texture yet it remains light and sweet. It would pair nicely with tea and a dollop of creme fraiche or unsweetened whipped cream.

Though not even approaching being eligible for a beauty contest, this cake seems to be irresistible. It stays fresh and gooey for days (that is if there's any left) and it's really very simple. The recipe originated in a community cookbook that I used regularly for years. The cake was always delicious but, over the years I've changed things--NO nuts--raisins--raisins soaked in Rum--but now I've settled on adding dates soaked in Apple Brandy (or Calvados if you're feeling flush!) Sometimes I substitute brown sugar for half the white sugar. As I say, NOT pretty, but well worth it.

I'm a big fan of rhubarb. Mixed with strawberries, the tart rhubarb is perfectly offset by the sweetness of early spring berries and that rosy pink color is incredibly appealing. This is the first fresh pie of the season in our house and for that reason alone is a favorite. One technique I use for all fruit pies—learned from Christine Ferber's preserves book—is to let the fruit macerate and develop overnight before filling the pie crust. I think this makes a remarkable pie.

Sometimes you come across a book that's so charming you can't resist cooking from it. Such was the case with "Swedish Cakes and Cookies." Who doesn't like a gingham cover? And Swedish cookies? And Swedish cookies made with rye flour? I was smitten. This adorable little book has so many sticky note tabs in its pages it looks like fringe.

I borrowed the technique for these from Rivka, whose Cocoa Pear Crisps, were an early recipe contest winner. You don't need to add anything to the apples, but I often sprinkle half of them with a little cinnamon to keep things lively. Feel free to experiment with different spices like ginger, allspice, or even cardamom.

My Dad is Greek, so ever since I can remember we have had Baklava for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is the version I've created through years of eating my mom’s and other ladies' varieties.

This is a standard royal icing recipe. You will find many different variations online but I find this one works best for me.

My wife came up with the combination of orange/cardamom as a flavor profile for these cookies when I asked her the other night, what her ideal chocolate cookie would taste like. To that, I added the hazelnut flour because I am such a fan of hazelnut and chocolate together...think NUTELLA. Finally, the fleur de sel sprinkle was inspired by some of my favorite chocolate cookies ever, Kayak Cookies' "Salty Oats", that are made on Cape Cod.

This was delicious. The dumplings are super light and spongy and just soak up the sauce, very yummy. The texture was a bit like steamed sponge cake, even though it calls for much less egg. I'd recommend pouring a little bit of sauce at a time, clintonhillbilly is right that hot dumplings and cold sauce are a terrific contrast, but if you douse them with sauce the dumplings cool off too fast. I'll definitely make this again, maybe with other berries or fruit.