Pancake

This dessert needs some last-minute assembly, so appoint a helper or line up the components to make it all go smoothly.

Forget pie: Strawberry and rhubarb are together again in a whole new way. (Use purchased crepes if you're short on time.)

These flavorful pancakes make a great breakfast (drizzled with maple syrup) or appetizer (topped with chives).

Serve with chopped celery leaves and horseradish mixed into sour cream. Look for panko at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of supermarkets.

The classic caviar-topped blini goes sweet: Tender dessert blinis get trimmings and toppings — including tapioca "caviar" — for a create-your-own dessert.

These tasty treats were inspired by steakhouse flavors. For those who observe the kosher prohibition against serving meat and dairy together, they're delicious on their own. If you don't keep kosher, try them alongside grilled and roasted poultry and meat.

These Southwestern pancakes are vibrant to the eye and the palate. For a spicier version, leave in some — or even all — of the jalapeño seeds.

Inspired by aloo paratha, Indian potato bread, these pancakes are loaded with flavorful herbs and spices.

Cod and potato are the cornerstones of one of the classics of American cooking: fish chowder. Here they take on a new form as the basis for these distinctly New England potato pancakes.

Round out your breakfast: Add 1 cup steamed skim milk (heat on stove or in microwave until milk starts to froth) topped with 2 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp honey.

Saturday breakfast. From Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas. These Southwestern-style pancakes (with antioxidant-rich blueberries) run rings around an a.m. bagel. Executive chef Terry Conlan uses dried or frozen berries when fresh aren't available. Invite pals over and whip up an impressive stack.

These hearty, highly addictive pancakes are an ideal start to an active day. For easier outdoor cooking, mix the dry ingredients before you leave.

Crêpes au cidre
These are not the thin, delicate crêpes you may be used to. Made with baking powder, they are rustic-style: heartier and a little thicker — and perfectly suited to soaking up plenty of sweet syrup. Hard cider (fermented apple cider) can be found in the beer section of most supermarkets.

Light and fluffy, these impressive desserts look, smell, and taste extraordinary — meringue gives them a cloudlike texture, while quince adds a delicious fragrance and beautiful pink hue. And they're very manageable for a small dinner party if you make your crêpes and prepare the quince ahead (see cooks' note, below). Bring them both to room temperature when you sit down to dinner; when it's time for dessert, you'll only need to beat your egg whites and assemble the soufflés for baking.