Candy Thermometer

This recipe was created to accompany Praline Pecan Tarts .

This recipe was created to accompany Midwestern Butterscotch Fudge Marshmallow Sundaes. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A salad topping.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Wrapped in colorful cellophane, these chewy caramels make a great gift for friends with a sweet tooth.

This crunchy old-time favorite is an ideal gift for families, because both adults and children will eat it by the handful. For a gift, place the popcorn in glass jars tied with ribbon and decorated with sprigs of holly. And for immediate eating, put the popcorn in a cellophane-lined basket or box, and set it out for everyone to enjoy.

This crispy chicken is accented with ginger and sesame oil, and served with a simple dipping sauce of soy, cilantro, green onions and ginger. Wrap the chicken in foil, and store the sauce and slaw in plastic containers; be sure to add a cold pack or two to the picnic basket. Fill a thermos with limeade, or bring along a cooler of your favorite beers.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 5 hr

This delicious custard sauce, which accompanies the Rote Grütze, also goes well with summer fruit tarts.

Candida Sportiello writes: "As owner and chef of Il Giardino restaurant, on the tiny island of Ventotene off the coast of Naples, I've been cooking professionally for twenty-five years — but I've been cooking for pleasure for a good fifty years. As is the Italian way, most of my favorite recipes were handed down from my mother and grandmother, so they date from the early 1900s." This rich dessert is called a semifreddo ("half frozen") in Italian.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 5 hr If you decide to use fresh pumpkin purée for this cake, be sure you drain it for the full eight hours we recommend in the procedure.

This sherbet in waffle cups is the creation of Jorge Rocha Carmona and his wife, Claudia Mendez, owners of Rome Pasteler‭a, Billy Cross's favorite pastry shop in Oaxaca.

Dark chocolate never goes out of fashion, but white chocolate was all the rage in the eighties. Foodies couldn't get enough, enjoying it in truffles, tarts and sumptuous ivory-colored mousses like this one.

Wonton wrappers are used for these samosas instead of traditional pastry dough. Betelnut Pejiu Wu in San Francisco serves them with a tropical chutney.

The parfaits can be made a day ahead.