Food Processor

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The tender nut crust and a vanilla bean syrup make these cheesecake-like tartlets extra special. Top with more nuts, if you like.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Serve with jicama sticks, radish slices, peeled cooked shrimp, and corn tortilla chips.

Loaded with fruit, this dessert is cut and served as you would a cake, but the texture is that of a pudding. To keep the meal kosher when your menu includes meat, omit the whipped cream frosting and serve this with nondairy topping and the berry sauce. Begin the cake a day ahead.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Tossing the peaches in lemon juice brightens their flavor.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

This innovative take on the classic features an intensely flavored olive and raisin tapenade that is also great teamed with breadsticks or spread onto bruschetta. Crispy egg-bread croutons are also a nice addition

Active time: 45 minutes Start to finish: 5 hours

We call for English-style bitter orange marmalade (made with Seville oranges and often called Dundee) because other types made the ice cream too sweet and too soft. It's available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets. This recipe makes about a dozen more florentines than you'll need for the sandwiches, but it's a good idea to have extra in case one or two break — and the cookies are delicious even without the ice cream. Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 7 hr (includes freezing)

Phyllo dough gives this dessert a crisp texture that contrasts nicely with the smooth lemon filling.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This sauce is great with roast beef, grilled steaks, and roasted chicken. It is also delicious as a sandwich spread or as a dip for crudités or tortilla chips. The "heat" of the mayonnaise will depend on the variety of chili you use. In a bind, chili powder can be substituted for the chili paste.

Toss one cup of the pesto with one pound of cooked pasta, or try it as a sauce over baked chicken or fish.

Fabio Picchi, owner and chef of the restaurant Cibrèo in Florence, cooks like a Florentine granny with a spicy palate. He takes full advantage of seasonal abundance from the Sant' Ambrogio market next to his restaurant. Fabio's recipes are wonderful but imprecise, quantities are vague, and I've got to pay strict attention so he doesn't skip an ingredient or a step. His refreshing summery tomato aspic is simple and uses traditional ingredients in a novel way, creating a spicy tomato sauce with a wiggle, barely jelled, more fun than a formal aspic. Bright red, speckled with herbs, zapped with chili and garlic, Fabio's appetizer is a far cry from the ladies-lunch image of conventional, transparent consommé aspics. Even my gelatin-hating husband and son love this dish. Double the extra virgin for more authentic Tuscan flavor.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Round out this satisfying soup with a composed platter of marinated beets, red onions, sliced hard-boiled eggs, pickled vegetables and a wedge of imported Parmesan. Try a purchased berry tart for a pretty dessert.

Chewy crusts are filled with a sweet-tart lime curd and topped with sliced mangoes.