In mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add one teaspoon vanilla. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Turn into greased and floured deep 9-inch layer pan, lined on bottom with waxed paper. Bake 35 minutes at 350°, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack 20 minutes. Loosen from sides of pan and invert, turning right side up to finish cooling.

Drain cherries, reserving syrup. Combine 1/4 cup syrup with kirsch. Whip cream with confectioner's sugar and remaining vanilla until peaks form. To assemble, split cake horizontally. Place one layer on serving plate. Moisten with half the syrup mixture. Spread generously with whipped cream. Top with cherries, reserving one. Top with second layer. Moisten with syrup mixture; frost top and sides with whipped cream. Pipe rosettes around top of cake, one in center to garnish with remaining cherry. Sprinkle with chocolate. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Boil pistachios in several quarts of water until skins begin to loosen, about 3 minutes. Drain and place in cold water. Rub off skins with fingers. Toss nuts onto baking pan lined with paper towel. Bake at 200° for 45 to 60 minutes, removing them before they have an aroma or color. In a bowl, whisk yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until a ribbon forms. In a small heavy saucepan, heat milk with 1/2 cup sugar, until sugar dissolves and milk is scalded. Gradually whisk into eggs. Return to saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture coats back of a metal spoon, being careful not to boil.

Toast 4 ounces pistachios at 350° for 10 minutes. In food processor, chop nuts coarsely; set some aside. Grind remainder finely, then transfer to a bowl; whisk in yolk mixture. Add food coloring. Stir over ice and water. Place plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate 1 hour. Churn in ice cream maker, following manufacturer's directions, about 15 minutes. Add cream and reserved chopped pistachios; continue churning 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, heat a small skillet. Toss in remaining pistachios. Sprinkle with remaining sugar; stir 1 minute to glaze. Turn out onto a plate. Separate with a fork. Serve ice cream sprinkled with glazed nuts or transfer to a plastic container. Cover and freeze. Makes 1 quart.

Place fruit in shallow 2-quart baking dish. Blend brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and almond extract. Sprinkle over fruit. In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Stir in beaten egg with a fork, mixing until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over fruit. Drizzle with melted butter.

Bake at 375° for 35 to 40 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned. Serve warm with cream. Makes 8 servings.

Crust

For crust: In mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and orange zest. Cut in butter; blend in egg yolk. Shape into ball. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate 1 hour.

Roll out dough between floured pieces of waxed paper to 9-inch circle. Place on bottom of 9-inch spring form pan. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes, until golden. Cool.

Roll rest of dough to 15 x 3-1/2-inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise. Line sides of pan, patching as needed.

For filling: In electric mixer, beat cream cheese. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Blend together sugar and corn starch; beat into cheese mixture. Add vanilla, salt, orange zest, liqueur, and cream, blending well. Turn into prepared pan. Bake at 500° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 200° and bake 1 hour longer, or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Remove sides of pan. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

For topping: Heat orange marmalade over low heat until bubbly. Push through sieve. Arrange oranges on top of cheesecake. Brush with marmalade glaze. Pipe whipped cream cheese around edge of pan. Cut into small wedges. Makes 12 servings.

In a bowl, combine strawberries and sugar. Cover and chill. For shortcake, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a bowl, beat egg; beat in cream. Add all at once to flour mixture. Stir just to moisten. Spread dough in a greased 8-inch round layer cake pan, building up edges slightly. Brush with melted butter.

Bake at 425° for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Meanwhile, whip cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Remove shortcake from pan. Split into two layers. Carefully lift top off. Arrange bottom on serving plate. Spoon on half the berries. Place top over berries; spoon on remaining berries and some whipped cream. Pass remaining whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.

In a bowl, combine flour and confectioner's sugar. Cut in butter and shortening until you obtain the texture of coarse meal. Beat together yolk and water. Stir into flour mixture until dough gathers together. Knead lightly. Shape into disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 45 minutes.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thick round. Transfer to 9-inch greased tart pan. Trim edges to 1-inch overhang. Fold in overhang, forming double edge. Prick bottom with fork. Line with foil; fill with pie weights. Bake at 375° for 8 minutes. Remove foil and weights, and bake 2 minutes more. Remove and let cool.

Reduce oven heat to 350°. In a bowl, beat eggs slightly. Beat in sugar, flour, and vanilla. Stir in corn and maple syrups. Sprinkle chopped pecans on crust; top with pecans halves, rounded side up. Slowly pour syrup mixture over nuts, almost to rim. (Bake any extra filling as mini tarts with additional pecans.) Bake 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Refrigerate.

In small saucepan, heat apricot preserves over low heat with brandy, until liquefied. Press through sieve to remove pieces. Brush apricot glaze over top. Cut into wedges. Serve with whipped cream. Makes 9-inch tart.

1-2-3 Dough:

In mixing bowl, cream butter until light. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon zest. Stir in flour, just until blended. Shape into a ball. Place on plastic wrap, flatten into 6-inch round, and refrigerate one hour, until easy to handle.

Roll out on waxed paper to 13-inch round. Fit into a greased 10-inch flan pan. Cut off excess by rolling pin over top. (Reserve excess dough for cookies.) Prick well with a fork. Fit with a round of aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights, kidney beans, or rice. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights. Bake l2 minutes longer, until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Sprinkle evenly with macadamias.

Meanwhile, in small heavy saucepan, melt butter. Stir in sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat, until caramelized, a deep golden brown. Stir in cream. Heat until blended and creamy. Pour over macadamias. Cool, then refrigerate.

In small saucepan, blend cream and corn starch; stir in sour cream, egg, and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until smooth and thickened; do not let boil. Stir in chocolate, until melted, then vanilla. Pour over macadamia layer, spreading evenly. Refrigerate until set. Top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Makes 12 servings.

In large skillet, combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring until sugar melts. Stir in liqueur. Add bananas and cook, basting with syrup, until slightly soft. Add rum; swirl pan and ignite carefully with match. Place banana slices on each plate. Top with vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with sauce. Serve at once. Makes 8 servings.

Safety Note: Be sure the electric fan over the range is turned off while flaming, so that flames are not drawn into fan.

In small bowl, soak raisins in whiskey overnight. Fill 7-inch square pan with bread almost to the top. Sprinkle with raisins. In bowl, beat eggs, then beat in sugar, half-and-half, vanilla, nutmeg, and butter. Pour into pan; stir lightly, poking bread into liquid. Let stand 30 minutes. Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 325°, until golden brown and puffed around edges, and center is set but still a little soft.

Whiskey Sauce: In small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in sugar. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Beat eggs and whiskey; quickly whisk into butter mixture. Return to heat and whisk constantly until sauce thickens slightly. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Line pie shell with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 8 to 9 minutes at 400°, until pastry is set. Remove foil and bake 2 to 3 minutes longer. Let cool. In electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, egg yolks, and flour until smooth. Add vanilla, lemon zest, nutmeg, and buttermilk, beating 2 minutes or until completely blended. Pour into pie shell.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes at 375°, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Serve warm or chill. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Note: Pie has a more pronounced flavor when warm, a cheesecake-like texture when chilled.

Cake

For cake: In electric mixer bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add butter and 1/2 cup water. Beat at medium speed 1-1/2 minutes, scraping bowl. Add rest of water and vanilla; beat 1-1/2 minutes longer. Add 1 egg and egg white; mix 2-1/2 minutes. Add remaining egg; beat 1-1/2 minutes, scraping bowl. Beat 2-1/2 minutes more. Turn into 3 greased 9-inch cake pans, preferably with removable bottom or lined on bottom with waxed paper. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 325°, until cake springs back when lightly touched and pulls away from sides of pan, and tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; turn out to cool on racks. Refrigerate several hours for easy handling.

For mousse: Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over hot water. Remove and let cool. Meanwhile, whip cream. Beat yolks with sugar in another bowl until light and fluffy. Stir in rum. Beat whites in another bowl until stiff. Stir yolk mixture into cooled chocolate; fold in whites and fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate 20 minutes or until mixture can be spread.

To assemble: Spread a little mousse over a layer. Cut 1-inch ring from second layer, reserving center for another use. Place ring over top, pressing gently into place. Fill with chocolate mousse. Frost ring top. Top with last layer.

Frosting: In medium saucepan, combine butter with chocolate, sugar, milk, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in confectioners sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. If frosting becomes too thick to spread, add a little milk. Frost top and sides.

Refrigerate. Decorate as desired.

In mixing bowl, cream butter with 1/3 cup sugar and salt. Dissolve yeast in warm water; add a pinch of sugar, and let stand 5 minutes or until foamy. Add yeast mixture, milk, eggs, and flour to creamed mixture. Beat well. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.

In mixer, combine almond paste, 1/2 cup sugar, cocoa, and almond extract. Generously grease an 8-inch fluted tube pan. Sprinkle pan with almonds mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar. Punch down dough. Place one-third of dough in prepared pan, building up around tube. Sprinkle with half of the almond paste mixture. Repeat, ending with dough. Let rise until dough reaches top of pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 375°, or until golden brown. Loosen from sides of pan, turn out on wire rack, and let cool. Makes 1 large coffee cake.