Nut

Ultra-rich mascarpone in the batter produces an extraordinarily creamy cheesecake. The cheesecake must be chilled at least six hours before serving.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The salty nut topping provides a nice contrast to the sweet mashed turnips.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min

The fragrant secret to this recipe from Delfina Studio Café is the rose water.

Serve this with sweetened whipped cream.

This cake keeps well and feeds a crowd. The "crumble" is simply a middle layer of pecans, brown sugar, butter and cocoa.

The nutty, crunchy topping makes a nice contrast to the juicy peach filling.

These little toasts are nice before dinner or alongside a green salad.

These large, hearty cookies are a fairly recent addition to the American repertoire, appearing sometime in the latter half of the twentieth century. Most ranger cookies contain rolled oats and coconut, and some also include pecans and crushed corn flakes. Despite the name, the cookies don't seem to be connected with the Texas Rangers or Texas, or with any particular part of the country, for that matter. These cookies have a rich, satisfying taste and toothsomeness that gives them great staying power and appeal. They are particularly good with a glass of milk.

The traditional Mexican flavor combination of cinnamon and chocolate is enhanced by a brown sugar topping.

Alice Medrich, founder of the Berkeley chocolate shop Cocolat, started the craze for these intense little nuggets.

Imported from Italy early in the decade, sun-dried tomatoes seduced the nation. Two other obsessions were pasta and pesto. All those ingredients combine here in a dish that doesn’t age.

A high proportion of butter makes for an extra-smooth and rich icing. For best results, use Philadelphia-brand cream cheese.

This dessert, called sciummette ("little sponges") in Liguria, is the Italian version of the French oeufs à la neige. One look at these fluffy ovals of meringue will tell you where the name comes from.

These would make nice presents, too.