In the early 1500s, Montezuma in his Mexico City palace drank chocolate daily, usually with red chile in it. Apparently the king knew that chile, in small amounts, amplifies and enriches the taste of chocolate. So does Jane Butel, the noted cookbook author and specialist in Mexican cookery, who generously provided the recipe from which this cake was adapted. At The Fort, it's a centerpiece of a birthday and anniversary ritual from which good-natured celebrants emerge with a photo of themselves in a horned buffalo or coyote hat.

I spent some time in Knoxville and got to know firsthand how pleasant the people are and how proud they are to maintain the tradition of the apple stack cake. Everyone knows it, and the routine that they follow to make and serve it is serious business.

Granita is the crunchy cousin to sorbet, more rustic, and for me, more satisfying.?

Read through the entire recipe before starting to cook. Assemble everything and then begin. Once you are rolling, things move quickly. Marshmallows keep, covered, at room temperature three days. Do this once, and you will get the recipe's rhythm down easily.

When my sister and I were kids about 7 and 8, we earnestly decided that the very best pie in the world would be one made with 20 ingredients.

Dear Friends,

So that people who avoid alcohol could still enjoy the extraordinarily moist yet soft texture of my Grand Marnier cake, I've adapted the recipe using ground almonds and lemon.

These fragrant apricots are so useful, I make big batches of them to give as gifts and to use for my own entertaining. They are delicious with drained whole milk yogurt, ice cream or creme fraiche make an excellent filling for tarts and turnovers, or accompaniment to plain cakes, with some whipped cream. They are also spectacular roasted and served with cr¨¨me fraiche (see recipe). I like to use California apricots because they have more intense flavor and delicate texture than Turkish ones.

How to make a cake that will light up your party -- literally.