Rum

(Parfaits Glacés D'annanas En Piña Colada)

This cake, thought to have first appeared in the 1920s, has had such names as pineapple glacé and pineapple skillet cake.

You might be tempted to bake 2 sheets of cookies at a time in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Don't give in to this urge — the cookies must go in the middle of the oven to cook through and brown evenly.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 35 min

A cored pineapple is used to serve this dessert, so be sure to select one with bright leaves.

At Òran Mór, the ice cream comes in profiteroles surrounded by the sauce, but this lovely duo tastes terrific without that added touch, too.

Chef Tory McPhail writes: "I was 19 years old and just out of culinary school when I first started at Commander's Palace. Despite my training, nothing prepared me for the pressures of working in a fast-paced kitchen, or in a restaurant of such high quality. I think my success came down to sheer effort and a lifelong passion for cooking. Even as a kid I loved playing with cookie and pie dough. "After a seven-year absence, which I spent working abroad and opening a new Commander's Palace restaurant in Las Vegas, I came back to New Orleans last year. Since returning I've enjoyed cooking for my friends. On the weekends we'll go fishing, and then I'll grill our catch and serve it along with a fresh salad. That meal combines the two best things about living in the South — lots of fishing and great fresh produce."

A quick 2-hour marinade of maple syrup, mustard, and rum turns the salmon dark and glazes the flesh. Boneless sides of Atlantic farm-raised salmon are available everywhere year-round, they're consistently good, and they can be prepared simply: roasted in a hot oven. You'll need parchment paper for this recipe, available at some supermarkets or at specialty food shops.

Tangy crème fraîche and a very grown-up rum-pineapple topping take cheesecake to an entirely new level. For best results, use Philadelphia-brand cream cheese.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.<P> This recipe originally accompanied epi:recipeLink=101054"Pineapple Rum Trifle Cake</epi:recipeLink>.

This dessert is easy to make on a cleaned rack after grilling a main course.

Flourless cakes with a pudding-like center.

Look for ripe mangoes that are slightly soft to the touch. To evoke the tropics even more, serve the fruit with coconut macaroons or macadamia nut cookies.