Pastries

Barquettes are small, boat-shaped pastry shells that can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients.

"My boyfriend just introduced me to Ledbetters', a breakfast restaurant in nearby New Milford," writes Lawren Hubal of Monroe, Connecticut. "Every morning, owners Julie and David Ledbetter make scones, and the lemon-poppy seed ones are out of this world. I'd love to make those scones at home."

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/4 hr

Traditional biscuits are so intimidating to novices in part because most recipes require you to make them at the last minute. I wanted to come up with something anyone can do, and this is it. The yeast makes the day! The dough is easy to work with, and both dough and baked biscuit can be made ahead.

Brushed with sweet orange syrup, filled with almond cream, and covered with toasted almonds, even the most run-of-the-mill store-bought croissants are transformed into something heavenly.

This dessert combines two confections that are popular in Chile: caramel and the small cream puffs called profiteroles.

Pastéis de Nata These tarts are best when baked in 1/3-cup muffin cups. However, since many manufacturers have increased the size of their standard tins, we also tested the tarts in 1/2-cup muffin cups. In those cups, the pastry dough doesn't reach the tops, resulting in rather squat tarts.

Poppy seeds have a tendency to go rancid quickly, so be sure to use a fresh jar (and refrigerate or freeze it afterwards).

Great with eggs, chili, soup or stew.

Sarabeth Levine makes her scones at Sarabeth's in New York, with only one tablespoon of sugar, so they aren't oversweet. The dough is very sticky, but resist the temptation to knead in more flour — the stickiness means the scones will be tender. Partner them with jam or whipped cream for a real treat.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(FINANCIERS) The little rectangular almond cakes known as financiers are sold in many of the best pastry shops in Paris. Perfect financiers are about as addictive as chocolate, and I'd walk a mile or two for a good one. The finest have a firm, crusty exterior and a moist, almondy interior, tasting almost as if they were filled with almond paste. Next to the madeleine, the financier is probably the most popular little French cake, common street food for morning or afternoon snacking. The cake's name probably comes from the fact that a financier resembles a solid gold brick. Curiously, as popular as they are, financiers seldom appear in recipe books or in French literature. The secret to a good financier is in the baking: For a good crust, they must begin baking in a very hot oven. Then the temperature is reduced to keep the interior moist. Placing the molds on a thick baking sheet while they are in the oven is an important baking hint from the Left Bank pastry chef Jean-Luc Poujauran, who worked for months to perfect his financiers, which are among the best in Paris. The special tin financier molds, each measuring 2 x 4-inches (5 x 10-cm), can be found at restaurant supply shops. Small oval barquette molds or even muffin tins could also be used.

"I love cooking with the new recipes every month when Bon Appétit arrives," writes Gabriella Hughes of Windham, Maine. "One dish I'd really like to make is the gingerbread with lemon icing from Standard Baking Co. in Portland, Maine. Could you request it?" Serve these tender gingerbread muffins with whipped cream for teatime or dessert.

Churros are a Spanish classic, usually sold in street-side shops and quickly transported home or to a local café to enjoy with thick hot chocolate. They're made with a piece of equipment called a churrera, which is a type of pastry tube.