Dorie Greenspan

WHEN YOU BAKE APPLES with caramel sauce, you get a juicy mixture—juicier than a traditional apple pie filling, because there are no thickeners. You also get one that’s less sweet— “burning” the sugar to caramelize it gives it pleasantly bitter undertones. These are the characteristics that make this filling a good match for a topping that’s sweet, earthy and crunchy. It’s a topping that began life as streusel and ended by welcoming whole wheat flour (the earthy element) and oatmeal. You can swap the apples for pears or make this with quinces or, better yet, a combination of quinces, apples and/or pears. While you’re fiddling, think about adding toasted nuts (walnuts or pecans) to the mix.

Recipe introduction from Food52's Genius Desserts by Kristen Miglore:

When we were shooting the photos for my last book, Dorie’s Cookies, lunch was a highlight of the day, as each of us took turns cooking. One morning, Claudia Ficca, the food stylist, announced that she’d bought some salmon and had an idea for lunch: salmon burgers. Like everything Claudia does, these are special. They get a supersized helping of zip from lemons, capers, two kinds of mustard, scallions, lots of dill and Greek yogurt, which adds tang and, most important, moisture.

A carefully made grilled cheese sandwich is a gustatory wonder. Its key ingredients are bread that’s firm enough to hold its own against heat and pressure but soft enough to produce a tender sandwich; full- flavored, high-quality cheese (my preference is Comté or an aged cheddar), cut about 1/8 inch thick; and clarified butter. The butter flavors the bread and allows it to color deeply without becoming too dark or, worse, burnt. Make the sandwich on a griddle or in a heavy skillet and use another heavy skillet to press it down. The greater the pressure, the more the ingredients will blend and the better your sandwich will be.

Rillettes, so very French, are usually made with pork cooked in its own fat until it’s as spreadable as jam. These are lighter, made with both fresh and smoked salmon and miso butter. The butter gives the rillettes their luxurious texture (it also holds everything together), and the miso is the flavor that few people can identify on first bite. Serve the rillettes on toast or crackers with white or sparkling wine. Cocktail hour perfection.

Dorie Greenspan: "What I know for sure is that everyone who has these cookies smiles and smiles are pretty powerful."

It’s hard to decide what’s best about this cookie. The texture’s a definite attention-grabber: It has a slight flakiness at first and then it’s all melt. The flavors of the rosemary and Parmesan, one of those meant-to-be matches, are front and center.

Never underestimate the pleasures of meringue. Simple to the point of plain, meringue delivers delight with every messy bite. As neat as you may be, it’s impossible to eat a meringue without producing a pile of shards and crumbs, and that’s part of the cookie’s charm.

A mix of toasted and untoasted coconut makes this cookie’s texture both crisp and chewy. There is so much lime zest that the cookie reminds some people of a piña colada.

Having made this so many times with so many combinations, I can now say with confidence what Laurent told me when he first described the dish, “You’ll love it.”