Macadamia Nut

Crunchy toffee and rum-spiked caramel turn pineapple into a festive dessert.

A bittersweet chocolate ganache is spread in the bottom of the crust and is also piped on top of the nutty caramel filling.

To read of my travels, you might get the impression that for most of the last three years, I've done nothing but prowl night markets and food stalls. True, a lot of great grilling takes place at these markets, but you can also find some pretty amazing barbecue at luxury resorts. One such place is Amandari, a hotel built right into a rice paddy near the artist town of Ubud, Bali. There, a team of chefs cooks glorious grilled dishes such as grilled shrimp with fiery lemongrass sambal, Balinese grilled chicken, and whole grilled fish with makrut lime leaves.

The rich, intense flavor base of this traditional Malaysian dish comes from the rempah, or curry paste, that is made from scratch and infused into the oil before cooking the remaining ingredients. This recipe uses whole chickens that have been broken down into 10 pieces (2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, and 4 breast pieces each). If you're not comfortable cutting up a chicken yourself, you can ask your butcher to do it or buy chicken pieces.

The sweetness of this brittle is balanced by a sprinkling of salt.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Ming Tsai's Simply Ming. This recipe only uses 1/4 of Ming Tsai's butter shortbread cookie dough. Use the rest to make classic shortbread, double chocolate-ginger shortbread, and five-spice shortbread.

Think of this pretty tart as a tropical version of traditional pecan pie. The sweet, buttery filling bakes up like a custard, and each slice is packed with macadamia nuts and sweetened flaked coconut.

Utensils needed: Heatproof bowl; heavy-bottomed saucepan; baking sheet or platter, lightly buttered; wooden spoon.
Boiling time: 6 minutes.
Storage: Keep individually wrapped candies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week; refrigerated, up to 3 weeks.

If you enjoy this decadent dessert (or the <epi:recipelink id="230320">Canyon Ranch Cocoa Chimichanga</epi:recipelink>) once a week, you will satisfy your cravings and stay on track with your weight loss and healthy-eating goals.

Australian crystallized ginger is especially moist; it's sold at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores.

Mahimahi is on of Hawaii's most popular fish; firm-fleshed and mild-flavored, it can be cooked in almost any manner and cloaked in almost any sauce. I like the flavor of citrus with mahimahi, enhanced by some spicy peppercorns. Sweet bananas, a hint of coconut, and macadamia nuts add to the tropical flavors in this light dish.

The name banoffee plays on the combination of a banana filling and a topping of coffee-flavored whipped cream. This inspired dessert comes from pastry chef Abigail Langlas at Alan Wong’s award-winning restaurant in Honolulu.

Sue Ellison of Edgewater, Colorado, writes: "Although I play guitar and piano, and have worked for more than 20 years as an elementary-school music teacher, at this point music is just my job; cooking is my passion. It's an interest I share with my daughter, Hannah. We do a phenomenal amount of cooking together. In fact, I think she learned how to count using chocolate chips, standing on a stool next to me at the kitchen counter while I baked chocolate croissants." Roasted pine nuts add a southwestern accent to this lightly sweetened granola. Once the granola has cooled, leave it in large chunks for a snack or crumble it into bits for a cereal topping. Either way, it will keep up to one week if stored airtight.

The ice-cream balls are a perfect dessert for small groups.

What could be more basic than an ice cream sundae? Our version has a luscious chocolate-caramel sauce spiked with bourbon and studded with macadamia nuts.