Baking

This feather-light, sweet-tart bread is as good as it sounds.

Crispy phyllo takes the place of a traditional pizza crust in this inventive recipe, which is a great appetizer or light entrée.

Traditionally served with tea in the afternoon, scones are lovely at brunch, too.

You can use the more traditional orange flower water or rose water instead of the orange peel and juice concentrate to flavor these crispy cookies.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Offer sliced peaches with these cookies. Store the crescents in a shallow airtight container.

(TARTELETTES AUX NOIX)

The unique filling has a flavor and soft texture reminiscent of orange marmalade.

"This recipe is adapted from one in the great book Classic Home Desserts, by Richard Sax," says Alexa Reber of Sterling, Massachusetts. "I created it for my mother — she loves maple above all other flavors. It is almost as wonderful as she is." Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 55 min

This dessert can be transformed to fit occasions other than Valentine's Day. Try experimenting with round, square, or triangular meringue shapes. And even though you'll only need 4 meringue layers, the recipe calls for 6—thus allowing for the possibility of breakage…or snacks! We loved the look of passion-fruit seeds and sparkling, ruby-red pomegranate seeds (along with a bit of juice) as a garnish, but you could substitute fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries.