Baking

For this recipe, you will need a 13- by 4-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable fluted rim, available at specialty cookware shops.

Served with a scoop of ice cream, this crisp, easy shortbread makes an elegant dessert. Try it dipped into melted chocolate or served with coffee and chocolates.

For soft and chewy cookies, bake these just a couple of minutes less than the recipe directs.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Silver Palate Sour Cream Apple Pie was the most popular apple pie at The Silver Palate, the gourmet take-out shop that Julee Rosso and I opened in New York City in 1977. This pie will win raves in your home too! When chopping the walnuts, make sure they're not too fine.

Here's a different use for one of the ingredients from the first Thanksgiving. Though this recipe is particularly easy to prepare with frozen winter squash purée, canned pumpkin purée or mashed freshly cooked butternut squash will work just as well. The squash will impart a beautiful golden color to the rolls.

Sweet summer apricots are a terrific topping for this upside-down cake.

For this recipe you will need 3 mini-muffin pans, each containing twelve 1 3/4- by 1-inch cups. Resist the temptation to make the bites in batches because the potato mixture will discolor.