Dessert/2 recipes

Homemade grainy mustard with mustard seeds, white wine, vinegar, and a touch of corn syrup. Bold artisan-style condiment that keeps for a month in the fridge.

Rhubarb sorbet sweetened with honey and brightened with orange zest, lightened with whipped egg whites. A pale pink, refreshing dessert that captures spring rhubarb at its best.

Old-fashioned maple walnut ice cream made with real maple sugar, maple syrup, heavy cream, and chopped walnuts. Custard-free, hand-cranked, deeply maple-rich.

French chocolate pots de creme: silky individual chocolate custards made with heavy cream, semi-sweet chocolate, egg yolks, and a hint of Kahlua. The classic French dinner-party finale, no oven required.

Mocha icing whips butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, egg yolk, and coffee into a silky chocolate-coffee frosting for cakes and cupcakes. Three-ingredient base, ready in minutes.

Pink marble pudding: rhubarb-raspberry puree layered with vanilla whipped cream in dessert glasses. A vintage parfait-style dessert with a fig cookie thickener.

Filled molasses cookies are old-fashioned sandwich cookies with rolled molasses dough hugging a sweet cooked date filling. A Depression-era cookie jar staple with deep flavor.

Fluffy white layer cake made with egg whites only, butter creamed light with sugar, and a tender milk-based crumb. The classic wedding and birthday cake base.

Krumkaker are Norwegian curled cookies pressed thin in a special iron, then rolled into cones around a wooden spoon handle while still hot. Traditional Scandinavian holiday treat.

Applesauce fudgy brownies use applesauce, egg whites, and a splash of Kahlua to slash the fat without losing the dense chew. Cocoa-forward, peanut butter accent, no oil.

Classic baked flan with a deep amber caramel top and silky vanilla-orange custard underneath. Spanish-style cream caramel made the proper water-bath way for a dinner-party showstopper.

Cranberry star mold: a retro raspberry gelatin dessert folded with whipped cream, pineapple, and orange sections, chilled in a star mold. A classic holiday side or light dessert.

Flaky puff pastry shells filled with orange-scented cream cheese whipped cream and topped with cherry pie filling. A dinner party dessert that looks dressed up but takes 30 minutes.

A make-ahead chocolate wafer crumb mix that stores for 6 months. Pull out a cup or two anytime you want a fast no-bake pie crust for cheesecake, mousse pie, or ice cream pie.

Greek poached oranges in spiced mavrodaphne wine syrup with bay leaf and clove. A jewel-toned, make-ahead dessert that lets winter citrus shine without the oven.

Coeurs a la creme are classic French heart-shaped cheese desserts drained overnight in cheesecloth molds, served over fresh raspberry coulis. Airy, tangy, and romantic without being heavy.