• In small bowl, combine water, brandy, espresso powder, and 1 tablespoon sugar until sugar dissolves.
• In medium bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat cream until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted.
• In large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and remaining ¼ cup sugar until fluffy, about 4 minutes.
• Continue beating; add milk and vanilla in slow, steady stream.
• Beat until well mixed and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• With spatula, gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
• In 8-inch square baking dish, arrange half of ladyfingers, flat sides up, in single layer.
• Pour half of brandy mixture evenly over; let stand until absorbed.
• Spread half of cream cheese mixture evenly over ladyfingers.
• Top with remaining ladyfingers, flat sides up.
• Brush remaining brandy mixture over ladyfingers, allowing liquid to be absorbed before each addition.
• Spread evenly with remaining cream cheese mixture.
• Sift cocoa evenly on top.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Garnish with chocolate curls, if desired.

6 Servings

• Divide 1 pint lemon sorbet among 6 wineglasses or dessert bowls.
• Pour ⅓ cup Prosecco into each glass; garnish with mint sprig.
• Serve immediately.

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• With vegetable peeler, remove peel from orange in 2” by ½” strips.
• Reserve orange for another use.
• With melon baller or small knife, remove cores and seeds from pears by cutting through blossom end (bottom) of pears; leave peels on and stems attached.
• In shallow 1½- to 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish, combine orange peel, wine, and water.
• Place sugar in medium bowl.
• Hold pears, one at a time, over bowl of sugar.
• Use pastry brush to brush pears with melted butter, then sprinkle with sugar until coated.
• Stand pears in baking dish.
• Sprinkle any remaining sugar into baking dish around pears.
• Bake pears 35 to 40 minutes or until tender when pierced with tip of small knife, basting occasionally with syrup in baking dish.
• Cool pears slightly, about 30 minutes, to serve warm.
• Or cool completely; cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.
• Reheat to serve warm if you like.

• In cup, evenly sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup water.
• Let stand 2 minutes to allow gelatin to absorb liquid and soften.
• In 3-quart saucepan, heat ½ cup buttermilk and ½ cup sugar over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low; whisk in gelatin.
• Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until gelatin dissolves, stirring to assist.
• Remove saucepan from heat; stir in remaining 2¼ cups buttermilk.
• Pour buttermilk mixture into eight 4-ounce ramekins or 6-ounce custard cups.
• Place ramekins in jelly-roll pan for easier handling.
• Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate panna cotta at least 4 hours or overnight, until well chilled and set.
• Set aside ⅓ cup blackberries for garnish.
• In blender, puree remaining blackberries with lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons water and 4 teaspoons sugar.
• Pour puree through sieve set over small bowl, stirring to press out fruit sauce; discard seeds.
• Cover and refrigerate sauce if not serving right away.
• To unmold panna cottas, run tip of small knife around edge of ramekins.
• With hand, sharply tap side of each ramekin to break seal; invert onto dessert plates.
• Spoon sauce around each panna cotta.
• Garnish with reserved berries.

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line two large cookie sheets with parchment.
• Crumble almond paste into food processor with knife blade attached.
• Add sugar and process until paste has texture of fine meal; transfer to large bowl.
• Add egg white and honey.
• With mixer at low speed, beat until dough is blended.
• Increase speed to medium-high and beat until very smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Spoon batter into pastry bag fitted with ½-inch round tip.
• Pipe 1¼-inch rounds, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.
• Brush cookies lightly with water and cover completely with pine nuts, pressing gently to make nuts stick.
• Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through.
• Slide parchment paper onto wire racks and let cookies cool on parchment paper.
• Repeat with remaining dough and pine nuts.
• Store pignoli in airtight container up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.

10 Servings

• In 2-quart saucepan, heat 1 cup water and ½ cup sugar to boiling over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
• Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, from 1 or 2 lemons, grate 2 teaspoons peel and squeeze ¼ cup juice.
• In food processor with knife blade attached, blend 1 pound hulled strawberries and 1½ cups raspberries until pureed.
• With back of spoon, press puree through sieve into medium bowl; discard seeds.
• Stir sugar syrup and lemon juice and peel into berry puree.
• Pour into 9-inch square metal baking pan.
• Cover, freeze, and scrape to serve, as directed in box Granita Know-How.

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Lightly grease large cookie sheet.
• In small bowl, beat together egg whites, oil, coffee, and vanilla.
• In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nuts, and cherries until well mixed.
• Pour egg mixture over dry ingredients and stir until combined.
• Shape dough into two 12” by 1” logs; place both on prepared cookie sheet and flatten slightly.
• Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool logs on cookie sheet on wire rack 10 minutes.
• Transfer 1 log to cutting board.
• Cut diagonally into scant-½-inch-thick slices.
• Lay slices out flat on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Repeat with remaining log, using second cookie sheet if necessary.
• Bake until dry, 20 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway though baking if using two sheets.
• Using wide metal spatula, transfer biscotti to rack to cool.
• Store biscotti in airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks or in freezer up to 3 months.

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse hazelnuts with sugar, cocoa, chocolate, and salt until ground.
• Add egg whites and vanilla; process until well blended.
• (Mixture will be tacky.
• )
• Drop batter by rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart, on cookie sheets.
• Bake 10 minutes or until tops look dry, rotating cookie sheets halfway through baking.
• Cool completely on cookie sheets on wire racks.
• Store in an airtight container up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Line two cookie sheets with parchment.
• In food processor with knife blade attached, process almond paste and sugar until only occasional small lumps remain.
• Add egg whites and vanilla; pulse until well combined.
• Spoon batter into decorating bag fitted with ½-inch star tip.
• Pipe batter into 3-inch-long fingers, 1 inch apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake macaroons until edges start to turn golden brown, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through.
• Set cookie sheets on wire racks to cool.
• Repeat with remaining batter.
• In microwave-safe cup, heat chocolate in microwave oven on High until soft and shiny, 1 minute.
• Stir until smooth.
• With pastry brush, brush chocolate on half of each macaroon.
• Let stand until set or refrigerate 5 minutes to set chocolate.
• Peel cookies from parchment.
• Store macaroons, with waxed paper between layers, in tightly covered container up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

• Line 13” by 9” baking pan with foil, extending foil over rim.
• Prepare Creamy Polenta as directed but use only 3½ cups boiling water and cook until mixture is very thick and indentation remains when spoon is dragged through polenta, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Stir in Parmesan and butter as directed.
• Spoon mixture into prepared pan, smoothing top.
• Refrigerate until very firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat broiler.
• Lift foil with polenta from baking pan; place on cookie sheet.
• Cut polenta into 16 triangles; separate triangles.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine and combine with ½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary; brush onto polenta wedges.
• Broil 5 to 7 inches from heat source until lightly browned and heated through, about 10 minutes.
• Makes 16 side-dish servings