Make Ahead

A favorite from the '70s, pumpkin cheesecake is even more fun as a crumbly, nutty bar.

New York-style cheesecake gets a flavor update with a hint of orange and spice. The sweet-tart sauce balances the rich filling.

Reminiscent of Sara Lee's 1950s-era graham-cracker and sour-cream cheesecake, this version features a thick layer of delicious sour cream atop the creamy filling and tart Key lime custard.

The original financier was an almond pastry created by a 19th-century Parisian pastry chef for his wealthy banker clients. This chocolate version is worth its weight in gold.

In the '80s and early '90s, chocolate cheesecake was at the top of our list. The simple ingredients in this rich, dense version let a good boutique chocolate shine.

A beautiful bright orange, this soup has the sweetness of carrots and the aromatic nuttiness of caraway.

Serve this granola with milk and sliced bananas or yogurt for breakfast, or sprinkle it over ice cream for dessert.

Quiche is cool again, and it tastes as delicious now as it did back then.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, click here. This giant round of crisp cookie topped with large clump of streusel is a specialty of Mantua, Italy. It's perfect served with a bunch of grapes at the end of a dinner party. Set it in the center of the table and let guests break off pieces.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Greg Case's and Keri Fisher's One Cake, One Hundred Desserts. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, click here. One of the best things about this mousse is that it's very simple, with only a handful of ingredients and a few steps. Yet the mousse is so versatile—not to mention so tasty—you'll soon find yourself whipping some up to fill a graham cracker crust for chocolate mousse pie, or to serve on its own, topped with some fresh raspberries for an elegant dessert. Or you could just eat it right out of the bowl with a soupspoon, as we do. Be careful when combining the chocolate and the whipped cream. Whipping the cream adds lots of air and volume to it, and overworking it when adding to the chocolate will allow all that air to escape (and then you'll have chocolate sauce, not mousse.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Lauren Chattman's Mom's Big Book of Cookies. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, click here. Here is one of my favorite recipes in this book. These bars are just the essence of home baking for kids: a few simple ingredients that you probably have on hand, minimally handled, make the best bar cookies ever.

Get two of your daily fruit servings with this diet-friendly dessert from Annie Clemmons, pastry chef at Cyrus in Healdsburg, California.

You can serve this soup hot or cold, says Carl Schroeder, chef at Arterra in San Diego. It's loaded with beta-carotene and is wonderfully rich.

This starter, from Colby Garrelts, chef and co-owner of Bluestem in Kansas City, Missouri, is ideal for any summer get-together. For only 72 calories per serving, you'll get nearly 30 percent of your daily requirement for vitamin A, plus 4 grams of fiber.

Until you've tried this dessert, you may not have tasted a pear's multiple personalities.

Instead of pairing shrimp with sausage, we've taken this spicy gumbo in a more sophisticated direction by adding duck meat.

The addictive topping, a potent mix of pork belly, mushrooms, and Chinese rock sugar, takes some time to cook, but you'll love the result.