Cashew

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 35 min

Filled with a mixture of nuts, brown sugar, honey and grated orange peel, this tart will dress up any holiday table. Serve it with whipped cream and, if desired, the Orange-Cranberry Compote

"One thing I cannot get out of my head" said Ben Moskovitz, owner of Star Bakery in Oak Park, Michigan. "Was the food better growing up in Czechoslovakia or were the people hungrier there? My mother made a honey cake for the holiday, and it was so delicious. Honey was too expensive for us, so my mother burned the sugar to make it brown. Here I use pure honey, but I still think my mother's cake was better and I know I am wrong. The taste of hers is still in my mouth." Mr. Moskovitz's European honey cake follows, with a few of my American additions. Other European Jewish bakers interviewed for this book also bake with white rye flour and cake flour when we would use all-purpose flour. I have included both choices.

Ultra-rich mascarpone in the batter produces an extraordinarily creamy cheesecake. The cheesecake must be chilled at least six hours before serving.

At one time, musicians who entertained in Catalan countryside were paid with dried fruit and nuts. This came to be known as the "musician's dessert," which is still served to this day. Many places have updated the custom by turning the "pay" into a tart. Here's a rendition, with a rich caramel topping and sweet crust.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

You might be tempted to bake 2 sheets of bars at a time in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Don't give in to this urge—they must go in the middle of the oven to cook through and brown evenly.

This saucy noodle recipe gets its crunch from fiery, garlicky toasted cashews.

Savory cashew chicken meets tender asparagus in this lightning-fast dinner.

Crunchy fried cashews seasoned with fresh curry leaves, chile powder, black pepper, and caramelized onions make the perfect party snack.

Creamy roasted Japanese eggplant meets its delightfully textured match in this riff on Mexican salsa macha, made with cashews, garlic, and fresh Fresno chiles.

A classic for a reason. Our ultimate recipe has nut-studded toffee, just-ripe bananas, and heaps of whipped cream.

A very rich, very creamy, very luxe tomato soup that’s entirely vegan and entirely made in a blender. Yep—no pot or stove needed.

This bright and luscious dairy-free pasta relies on blended raw cashews for creaminess and a cooking method similar to risotto—in a fraction of the time.

A creamy dairy-free blender sauce with a kick that’s equally good as a dip for vegetables or a dressing for salads and noodles.

Treating grapefruit like raw fish gives you permission to get as fancy as you’d like plating and arranging this textural winter salad.

A blender does all the work to create a luscious, fragrant sauce that gets its creaminess from soaked cashews—not dairy—in no time.