Jeanne Thiel Kelley

No need to peel the peaches — the peel provides great color, texture, and flavor. Just gently rub off the peach fuzz with a kitchen towel.

Cherry pie is traditionally made with hard-to-find tart pie cherries. In this version, fresh Bing cherries combine with dried tart cherries, preserved Morello cherries, and whole spices to create a deep red, intensely flavored pie. Look for Morello cherries in light syrup at Trader Joe's markets and online at amazon.com.

Serve this with the Raspberry-Apricot Compote With Champagne and Lemon Verbena.

For this lovely side dish, orzo pasta is cooked like risotto.

Blue Lake is a stringless variety found at farmers' markets and specialty foods stores. Others work well, too, as long as they're fresh and tender.

Present the shrimp atop the green beans.

There's enough dough for one more pizza, so freeze the extra. The vital wheat gluten flour is high in protein and helps create a chewy crust. It's sold at some supermarkets and natural foods stores. Bread flour will also give great results.

A cook's dream: The base is made ahead, and the shrimp are added at the last minute. Best of all, the gumbo tastes even better the second day.

Serve these with extra lemon wedges.

Yule log meets that New Orleans classic, bananas Foster, in a make-ahead dessert.

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.

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.

Fleur de sel and edible gold dust are sophisticated touches.