Electric Mixer

These are likely the best bug cookies you'll ever eat. And if your granny couldn't see the baked caterpillars peeking out of the dough, she'd undoubtedly ask for seconds. I bring these treats, which are sure conversation starters, when I'm asked to appear on radio talk shows. If I'm successful, after the banter has subsided, listeners will hear the sighs of contentment from the on-air hosts. Trust me on this: they're that good. When baked, those chubby ivory-colored caterpillars taste like pistachios. What's not to like? Based on flavor alone, Julia Child would have endorsed this recipe—and probably asked for seconds or thirds.

This yogurt mousse is an exercise in nostalgia for me, evocative of two different memories. The first is recent: cold lassi spiked with cardamom, a favorite drink at Indian restaurants. The musky flavor of cardamom just plays well with the tangy, refreshing taste of yogurt. And so does honey, which brings me to my second memory. My mother often served me and my siblings big bowls of plain yogurt with honey swirled in—it was a favorite summer lunch. I remember how the honey laced the yogurt in thick ropes of sweetness. This is a plain yet comforting dish, the two flavors marrying perfectly. I bring these three tastes together here in this dish, and finish it all off with fresh summer apricots. Top the finished mousse with apricot slices, or get fancy and pipe the chilled, set mousse into apricot halves and garnish with mint.

There's nothing, um, vanilla about our homemade version of the classic. Of course, it also makes a great base for your favorite upgrades.

This recipe calls for baking one giant cookie, a way to ensure even, consistent ice cream sandwiches.

Part of what gives this cake its light texture is beating the butter and sugar well, so don't rush this step.

Twelve years ago, I made a simple bowl of "strawberries pazzo"—pazzo means "crazy" in Italian — for my friend Ann Spivack (this book's co-writer). The combination of strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper has been part of my repertoire for decades. Ann thanked me by baking me this pazzo cake. This dessert—while easy to make—is a cut above a standard strawberry shortcake. The cake batter is very forgiving and comes out well when baked on your grill or in your oven. Bake this in a standard 8-by-8-inch baking pan in your oven; if baking inside a covered grill, pour the batter into a cast-iron skillet, enameled cast-iron baking dish, or Dutch oven. The key to the herbed crème fraîche is a light touch with the fresh herbs. You don't want to overwhelm the cake. We used rosemary but small tender basil leaves are delicious too. We dressed up this cake for our Harvest Dinner by drizzling on a balsamic glaze, spooning Roasted Strawberries onto the plate, and finishing with an herbed crème fraîche. You can serve all three with the cake, any one of them, or forget all three of them and just serve the cake simply with a light dusting of confectioners' sugar.

2 x 3-inch piece per serving Cakes tend to be very high in sodium and unhealthy fats, so try our version of the ever-popular carrot cake for a decadent treat with only a fraction of the sodium traditionally found in cake mixes. If you prefer an unfrosted version, just dust the cake with 2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar.

Fold cardamom-scented plum compote through a mixture of whipped cream and meringue; then freeze for an airy, creamy, sliceable summer dessert.

These biscotti-like cookies are extra delicious dipped in an after-dinner drink such as Vin Santo.

"I like unsweetened whipped cream on top," van Boven says, "because the fruit is sweet enough on its own."

This tangy, crustless cheesecake feels light and airy thanks to the addition of beaten egg whites.

Rice flour gives these cookies a very fine texture, and also results in a gluten-free dessert. Letting the dough rest allows the flour to absorb moisture, making it less crumbly and easier to handle.

As summer progresses and apricots go out of season, try these desserts with ripe plums instead.

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Milk Chocolate Cup-of-Fluffs . Nougat has a light, chewy consistency, a bright white color, and a charming ability to hold on to crunchy things like nuts or caramel pieces.

When SFMOMA presented the first Francesca Woodman retrospective in the United States in over two decades, I was excited to immerse myself in the work of another influential female photographer whom I studied in college. I love Woodman's juxtaposition of textures, her way of placing soft and vulnerable human forms in withered, deteriorating environments. My plan was to base a dessert on a photograph with this type of contrast. Of all of the images in the show, the one of the artist wearing a Victorian-style floral coat and flowing dress while posing in a crumbling room was my favorite. At the time the Woodman retrospective opened, I had just returned from a vacation in Scandinavia where I would have been happy to live on only Norwegian hardtack, rye bread, soft cheeses, and smoked salmon. The combination of hearty rusticity and soft refinement of these foods were like elements in the Woodman photo: I saw the crumbling room as a cracker made with whole wheat and rye; her flowing skirt as soft cheese; and the pattern on her coat as beautiful, delicate edible flowers. To create a tender cracker with the heartiness of my Norwegian inspiration, I used two types of rustic flour and incorporated the butter using the same technique that's used to make flaky pie dough. A little bit of yogurt added tang and tenderness to the cracker. To slather onto the crackers, I wanted a soft-textured fresh cheese that was simple to make in our tiny kitchen. Ricotta cheese was just the type. A sprinkling of colorful edible flowers from Leah's garden and a touch of black Hawaiian sea salt perfected the rustic-elegant presentation of the Woodman Cheese and Crackers.

Almost nothing makes me happier than buttercream at the perfect temperature, a small offset spatula, and a beautiful cake waiting to be frosted. There are different types of buttercreams, but I prefer the Italian-meringue version, perhaps because its consistency is very similar to thick oil paint, Thiebaud's medium in Display Cakes. If you're making one of the variations, ensure that whatever you're adding is at room temperature and incorporate it slowly.

The most dainty and cute of the three, this little pink cake was the one that propelled me into a life in cake making and was the original inspiration for the cakes I made at Miette. For the SFMOMA, I make the Thiebaud Pink Cake pink by cooking down strawberry syrup and adding it to the buttercream, and I top the frosted cake with either a red buttercream dot or a big, ripe raspberry if they're in season. I use lemon curd in the filling because, being the giant kid that I am, I love the combination of strawberry and lemon in a dessert—to me, it always tastes like Froot Loops.

This is a loaf cake that my mum liked to make and it remains a firm favorite of mine. The lemon syrup poured over the freshly baked cake seeps down into the sponge and adds a special moisture to the taste. Perfect to have with a cup of tea in the afternoon.

My husband taught me how to make Yorkshire puddings, and now I am hooked. I like to make them as individual puddings, baked in a non-stick muffin tin, but you can also make one large pudding in a high-sided pan and then cut it into portions. As a child, my dad used to eat them as a sweet dessert—you follow the same recipe, but finish off by pouring warm honey over the top. Comfort food at its best.

A delightful option for a mid-morning snack or brunch, our Teff Banana Bread is also gluten-free and dairy-free. We slice ours with a serrated knife, first lengthwise down the middle and then across into 12 slices, for a total of 24 one-ounce servings per loaf.