¼ cup toasted almonds
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1-⅓ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 large egg + 1 yolk, beaten
3 tablespoons cold water

Pulse the almonds and sugar together in a food processor until finely ground. Add flours, butter and salt and process until consistency of wet sand. Add egg and as much water as needed, little by little, until dough comes together into a ball. Divide into two balls, flatten into 4-inch discs, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.

Makes 2 crusts

1 disc of Buttery, Crumbly Tart Crust, chilled
¼ cup blanched almonds
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1 large egg
½ cup creme fraiche
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 pound cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 pound apricots, halved and pitted

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Roll out the pastry dough on a silicone mat or floured surface to a 13-inch circle. Spray a 10- or 11-inch tart pan with cooking spray and carefully lay the dough on top. Tuck it in to fit to the pan and trim the top, leaving a ¼ inch above the pan. Crimp edges along the ridges of the pan.

Spray a sheet of parchment paper with cooking spray and lay, spray side down, on the pastry shell. Fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake for 10 minutes. Remove beans or weights and paper, and let crust cool on a rack.

Pulse together almonds and ¼  cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add egg, creme fraiche and almond extract, and and run the processor until the mixture is smooth. Scoop mixture onto tart shell and spread evenly.

Arrange the halved cherries and apricots on top of the tart, cut side up. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and bake 30-40 minutes, until filling is set.

Let cool and serve.

Serves 12

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt. Place the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Gently fold in the raspberries. Scrape the batter into a 9-inch cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Run a knife around the edge of the cake. Invert cake onto a wire rack and cool completely. Turn cake right-side-up. Sift powdered sugar over top of the cake.

Serves 8

1/2 cup brandy
1 1/2 pounds cherries, pitted and halved
6 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon powdered sugar, for dusting

In a saucepan bring the brandy and cherries to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let soak for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400.

With an electric mixer, beat together eggs and sugar at high speed for a minute and a half, until light and frothy. Turn off mixer, add in creme fraiche, butter, flour, vanilla and almond extracts and salt. Strain the brandy from the cherries into the egg mixture and blend at medium speed until all is incorporated.

Butter or spray a 10-inch baking dish and pour in mixture. Scatter cherries over the top (they will sink) and bake for 25 minutes, until batter is just turning golden and no longer jiggles.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 12

Whisk together first 5 ingredients and 1/4 cup coconut sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, and cook 25-30 minutes or until the amaranth is tender.

Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup coconut sugar and eggs. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot amaranth mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk egg mixture into amaranth mixture in the pan. Cook 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Gradually add the chocolate, stirring until it melts.

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Carefully set the pan into the ice bath and let the pudding cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (pudding will continue to thicken as it chills). Serve garnished with chopped walnuts, if you like.

Serves 8

3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 whole vanilla bean
3 cups 2% low-fat milk, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of sea salt
2 large egg yolks
Toasted walnuts, for garnish (optional)
Shaved dark chocolate, for garnish (optional)

Place 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Slit vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Open the bean up and scrape the seeds from the bean using the back of a paring knife. Add the seeds to the sugar; rub the seeds into the sugar with your fingers (this helps disperse the seeds in the pudding). Whisk in 2-1/2 cups milk; add vanilla bean pod to pan. Place pan over medium-high heat and bring to 180 degrees or until tiny bubbles form around the edge.

Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup milk and yolks. Add yolk mixture to cornstarch mixture, whisking thoroughly to eliminate any lumps. Gradually whisk in half the hot milk mixture. Return egg-milk mixture to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes or until thick, whisking constantly.

Scrape pudding into a clean bowl; discard vanilla bean pod. Fill a larger bowl with ice water. Set pudding-filled bowl in ice bath; cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap, and chill. Serve garnished with toasted nuts and shaved chocolate.

Serves 6

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled (old-fashioned) oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Whisk together the flours, oats, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat until thoroughly combined. Fold in the chips and nuts. Chill mixture 30 minutes to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 16 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cool 2 minutes on pans. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen

1-3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon grated Meyer lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup chilled butter, grated
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon Meyer lemon juice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Cut in the ricotta and butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand, using a pastry blender, 2 knives or your fingers. Gently stir in the buttermilk and juice. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead gently for 2 minutes (the dough is a little crumbly but holds together).

Place the dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick circle. Cut  the dough into 8 wedges (don’t separate the wedges). Use a pastry brush to brush the surface of the dough with egg; sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 400 degrees F for 17-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in a wire rack.

Serves 8

5 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2-1/2 cups low-fat eggnog
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons toasted chopped walnuts

Position 1 rack in middle of oven; position second rack in top. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Whisk together the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Place eggnog in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat; heat to 180 degrees F or until tiny bubbles form around the edges (do not boil). Gradually pour eggnog into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large 4-cup measuring cup or clean spouted bowl. Skim any foam from surface of custard.

Arrange 8 (5-ounce) ramekins in a 9x-13-inch baking pan. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet. (This will make it easier to maneuver the pan in and out of the oven.)

Pour maple syrup evenly into ramekins. Top evenly with custard. Skim any bubbles from surface of custard. Fill pan with hot water to a depth of 1-1/2 inches. Place pan on middle rack of oven. Place a second baking sheet on top rack (this prevents the tops of the flans from browning). Bake 45 minutes or until set. Carefully remove ramekins from pan. Cool to room temperature. Cover, and refrigerate 24 hours or up to 3 days.

To serve, run a thin, sharp knife around the edge of each flan. Place a dessert plate upside-down over each flan. Invert to unmold flan, allowing maple to drizzle over flan. Garnish with nuts.

Serves 8

Nonstick cooking spray
1 (14-ounce) package shredded sweetened coconut
10 ounces sweetened condensed milk from a 14-ounce can (about a scant cup)
1-1/2 teaspoons ground green cardamom
1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Lightly spray with nonstick spray.

Combine coconut, condensed milk, cardamom, saffron and salt in a large bowl. (It will form a mixture that is not like typical cookie dough.  But once the egg whites are folded in, the mixture will stay together during baking.)

Place egg whites in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Gently fold whipped egg whites into coconut mixture. Using a spoon, mold the mixture into tablespoon-size balls and place 1 inch apart on the prepared pans.

Bake at 350 F for 14-16 minutes or until the exterior is very slightly brown, the middle is still soft and the bottoms begin to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes on the baking sheets as they will be too fragile to move when hot. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yields about 3 dozen macaroons