Electric Mixer

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In France puréed potatoes are mixed with a local cow's-milk cheese known as Tomme Fraîche de Cantal. We've substituted fresh mozzarella — widely available in the States — to give the dish a similar consistency.

Fools are traditionally prepared with pureed fruit mixed with whipped cream, or egg custard, or a combination of the two. (The term fool probably comes from the French fouler, meaning "to crush.") They seem to be especially successful when made with sharply flavored garden produce like rhubarb, gooseberries, and black currants, which still have enough bite to be interesting when blended with cream. But strawberries, which are much easier to find, also work quite nicely. Strawberry fool is best when the fruit is mashed rather than pureed, resulting in a more appealing texture. Serve it with cookies.

If you spend one afternoon in the kitchen, there will be cookies for everyone on your list. You'll need at least a four-quart bowl to mix the large amount of dough.

At the café this dessert is accompanied by raspberry sauce and topped with whipped cream.

This moist Christmas cake takes its cues from the flavors and spices found in the classic Lebkuchen cookie. It's brushed with an orange-scented honey syrup, frosted with a creamy white chocolate icing and then surrounded by sliced almonds.

Enjoy this dessert at room temperature if you like a creamy texture similar to that of a soufflé, or serve the cake cold if you prefer a dense, fudgey texture.

This recipe was created to accompany Chocolate Strawberry Orance Wedding Cake .

Cake-making equipment and ingredients can be found at cake and candy supply stores. Be sure to use cake flour, not all purpose flour, and begin preparing the cake two days ahead. Buy one 1-ounce bottle of gel base color in the shade called Bakers Rose to tint both the frosting and the fondant a pale pink. Plastic drinking straws are used to support the middle and top tiers. Buy the straight—not bendable—kind.

Peanut butter cookies are an all-American classic, and the inclusion of honey, oats and chocolate chunks in this recipe makes for a terrific interpretation.