Espresso

These gorgeous, grown-up treats feature crunchy almond cookies, icy coffee granita, and creamy orange ice cream. Amaretti cookies vary in size—you'll need eight to twelve cookies for the parfaits.

These cookies should set for a while before serving. The fillings help soften the meringue—and your patience will be rewarded with a wonderfully chewy texture.

You'll turn up your nose at plain old chocolate chip ice cream once you try this cool, stracciatella-flavored concoction—stracciatella being a vanilla-flavored cream with thin ribbons or chips of chocolate (which melt on the tongue) running through it. The stracciatella cream fills this semifreddo-like cake, which also shines with a toasted-almond cookie-crumb base, a toasted-almond topping, and a drizzle of espresso fudge sauce.

SERVING SUGGESTION: Delicious after dinner with coffee.

This recipe is based on one from senior food editor Sarah Tenaglia's mom.

Here's a hot chocolate for the coffee lover. Plus, it's decadent enough to serve as dessert.

Sensational flavor from only six ingredients. Serve with Israeli couscous, which is larger and chewier than the more common variety.

This cake is the little black dress of fiber — velvety and sophisticated. Medjool dates lend it an unbelievably unctuous texture. When measuring spelt flour, be sure to spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off to prevent packing it down; this will keep the cake light.

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts are the poultry cut grill jockeys both love and hate. We love the convenience (not to mention the fact that they're virtually pure protien with practically no fat). On the down side, they're rather bland in flavor and tend to dry out on the grill. Brining is a great way to compensate for both of these shortcomings — especially if you use this "redeye" variation on traditional brine. A shot of espresso adds an unexpected flavor (don't worry, it's subtle), along with an inviting mahogany hue. To complete the coffee motif, I propose serving the chicken with an espresso-flavored mustard barbecue sauce.

This is a simple version of Caffé Shakerata, an Italian specialty, to make at home. The formula lends itself to endless variations: Try replacing the simple syrup with vanilla syrup or mint syrup or your favorite cordial, such as sambuca, Frangelico, or Godiva.

Food Editor: Ian Knauer
Father: Robert M. Knauer, Allentown, PA
As a mother of seven, my grandmother was always in the kitchen and often made these bell-shaped cookies. Now, when I make them for my father from her handwritten recipe, he says the taste takes him back to his childhood.

Affogato is a typically Italian way to enjoy ice cream — it's literally "drowned" in espresso or another liquid topping. (Lemon sorbetto splashed with grappa is a refreshing summer example.)

Espresso powder makes this creamy fudge taste more intensely chocolaty. Any nuts you prefer (such as pecans or macadamia nuts) can stand in for the walnuts.

While any yeast dough can be kneaded by hand, this one is done in a heavy-duty mixer with a dough-hook attachment — it's the fastest, easiest way to get the best texture. Use a clip-on deep-fry thermometer to gauge the oil temperature when frying these doughnuts: too low and they'll absorb oil, turning leaden and soggy; too high and they'll burn before the insides are cooked through.