Custard

Mocha custards are the "coffee" part of this whimsical "coffee and doughnuts" dessert.

White chocolate custard tops espresso custard in this luxurious make-ahead dessert. It's pretty garnished with fresh strawberries and coffee beans.

Parisians love chocolate, and cooks in Paris might make this with Valrhona, one of the best French brands. Begin preparing the dessert a day ahead.

(Coffee Custards)

"This past year, I've enjoyed more opportunities than usual to travel and dine out," writes Tony Solomita of Arlington, Virginia. "Instead of a photo album, I'd like to create an album of recipes from these new favorite restaurants. I'll start with a dessert: the berries with custard sauce from L'Auberge Chez François in nearby Great Falls." For these individual desserts, a light, foamy custard called a sabayon is poured over berries and broiled until just brown.

Candida Sportiello writes: "As owner and chef of Il Giardino restaurant, on the tiny island of Ventotene off the coast of Naples, I've been cooking professionally for twenty-five years — but I've been cooking for pleasure for a good fifty years. As is the Italian way, most of my favorite recipes were handed down from my mother and grandmother, so they date from the early 1900s." This rich dessert is called a semifreddo ("half frozen") in Italian.

These creamy custards feature the flavors of chai, a spiced tea that's enhanced with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and ginger.

This flan is my variation of a classic Cuban dessert that's usually made with calabaza (also known as West Indian pumpkin). I've added a crunchy gingersnap crust, and the overall effect is like a cheesecake with a crispy crust. Use canned pumpkin if calabaza is unavailable.

Refrigerate the flans overnight before serving.

Make these a day ahead to give the caramel time to soften and the custards time to set.