Nut

The filling is wonderfully creamy, like ice cream, but is made without using an ice cream machine. Be sure to have plenty of extra fruit to go along with the torte.

Crusts made of ground biscotti and almonds accent this do-ahead dessert.

Dorothy Williams of Vancouver, British Columbia, writes: "To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, my husband and I spent a week in Victoria, British Columbia. We particularly enjoyed Abigail's Hotel, where we had some delicious carrot-coconut cupcakes." For a lovely breakfast muffin, omit the cream cheese frosting.

Scoops of purchased chocolate, vanilla, and coffee ice creams are topped with three different do-ahead sauces.

Here's a real treat for the lunch box. Adding dried cherries and chocolate chips turns classic oatmeal cookies into something new.

The colonists planted around 150 varieties of apples in New England, many of which can still be found today. Apples show up most often in a double-crust pie, but the crisp is also a superb showcase. Nothing more than fruit baked with crumbly nut, flour, sugar and butter topping, it's as simple to make as it is delicious.

To roll out this dough you will need a pastry cloth and a rolling-pin cover, which are available at kitchenware stores and by mail order from Bridge Kitchenware, tel. (800) 274-3435 or (212) 838-1901.

Often called black cakes, spice cakes flavored with molasses are a perennial on the southern dessert buffet.

The 1990s opened with American cooks finding their way back to some of the foods and flavors of our country's beginning, then modifying them with new knowledge gained over time. Cheesecakes have been around for centuries, but they've never been more popular in the United States than they are right now. Pumpkin, too, is a New World food for which tradition reserves an honored place at any Thanksgiving table. We've teamed up these old favorites with luscious caramel in a creamy dessert that's right in step with the times.

A delicious side dish at the Old Manor Estate in Gingerland, Nevis.

This little sweetmeat is very popular throughout the Middle East. The Turkish term for the confection, rahat lokum, literally means "throat's ease."

A simple nut crust and a smooth caramel sauce are all the preparation required for this impressive dessert. Be sure to start making it at least 12 hours before serving.

Here's a sophisticated but easy desert.

This satisfying, old-fashioned cake has a delicious ripple of brown sugar and walnuts running through it.