Candy

These truffles are as close as you can get to eating pure chocolate. When you bite through the outer coating, you are treated to a creamy rich chocolate center. They will make you feel like royalty.

You can use the same technique to make candied lemon or orange peel. The technique for candied grapefruit peel is slightly different (as detailed below) because more pith—the bitter white layer between the outer peel and the flesh of citrus fruit—must be removed.

Keep the pan of simmering water nearby to re-warm the chocolate as you are working. You will need about 30 1 1/2-inch and 12 2 1/2-inch paper candy cups; they are available at most baking supply stores.

The crackle can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 month.

The candied orange peel can be made up to 3 weeks ahead; store it with the cooking syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

To produce interesting curves in the caramel drops, stand the skewers upright in flower foam or a heavy container while setting. If the caramel hardens before all the pecans have been dipped, rewarm it over low heat. A foolproof way to clean caramel from the pan is to bring it to a boil with a bit of added water.

Use the juice of these lemons for the mousse, and use some of the syrup for lemon sauce. Make this recipe a day before the mousse.

Serve these easy-to-prepare peaches with scoops of ice cream, and drizzle with pan juices.

The lemon slices can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.

For the prettiest chips, use blemish-free pears that are not quite ripe. A mandoline will help make the pear slices perfectly even.