Nut

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"One night when friends were coming over for cocktails, I wanted to make some hors d'oeuvres," says Amy Sue Keck of San Diego, California. "Though most tapenades I've tasted have been made with black olives and anchovies, I only had green olives in my cabinet—and no anchovies! So I added some toasted almonds instead, and my green "tapenade" was a hit. I still make it this way."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An easy cake to make, this is lovely topped with spice-scented sautéed pears and sweetened cinnamon-spiced whipped cream.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

One for the nut-lover. A refreshing apple compote is topped with an almond (or hazelnut) sponge. Simple and delicious, it's an ideal Passover dessert.

Zabaglione is the Italian version of the foamy, custardy sauce known as sabayon in France. I found that freezing it for this dessert gave it a texture much like that of ice cream. For an extra-pretty presentation, garnish this with fresh raspberries, orange segments, mint leaves and additional sliced, toasted almonds.

Stuffed pastas such as ravioli are simple to make, but it is important to keep the dough soft enough to be worked easily. Always roll out and fill 1 sheet of dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

Chinese chestnuts are quite common in the cuisine of northern China; they also appear in the food of Shanghai. These sweet meats, which are smaller than their European cousins, are used in many braised dishes and casseroles. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

This recipe was created to accompany Traditional Hamantaschen or Cream Cheese Hamantaschen . Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Any favorite ice cream can be used in these treats. Both the walnut cookies and the "sandwiches" themselves can be prepared several days in advance.

This is what Nutella would taste like in cake form; it was the first recipe Gina created for our original dessert menu.