Make Ahead

Look for black sesame seeds in the Asian foods section of a specialty market. If you can't find them, use white seeds instead.

(Crostata di Albicocche) What could be better than apricots—the best of summer—held in a tender pasta frolla, or sweet pastry? Tarts are a favorite Tuscan dessert, and in fact are so beloved that they're often eaten for breakfast and as snacks, too. If you make this later in the summer, use white peaches if you can find them, and leave the skin on; it will turn a beautiful ruby color when cooked.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 10 hr (includes soaking raisins)

Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 10 minutes

A sweet snack, full of chewy dried cherries and apricots, to nibble or wrap as a gift.

"This is the cake I bake for most family events," writes Mary Charlotte McCall of Tallahassee, Florida. "I started making it years ago because my three new stepdaughters liked it so much. It's always a hit at big parties, club meetings and kid-related events."

This filling is definitely not peas and hard carrots and tough chunks of chicken. Instead, there are sun-dried tomatoes and shiitake mushrooms with flavorful pieces of thyme-seasoned chicken. And best of all, the individual pies can be assembled a day ahead, leaving only the baking to be done before sharing them with the family.

One great thing about this lasagna is that the noodles don't need to be pre-boiled. The dish has a lot of liquid (in the form of sauce) and goes into the oven covered, so the noodles get cooked perfectly as the lasagna bakes. Add a green salad, and serve some Chianti or California red Zinfandel with the main course.

Layers of espresso-soaked pound cake and cream cheese custard come together with chocolate. Tiramisù means "pick-me-up" in Italian-and this certainly does.

In this recipe we slowly "double-cook" the quince, which prevents the fruit from crystallizing and heightens the pinkish- orange color it turns when cooked.