Candy

Eating these truffles is like sipping a cup of rich cappuccino.

These truffles are as close as you can get to eating pure chocolate. When you bite through the outer coating, you are treated to a creamy rich chocolate center. They will make you feel like royalty.

You can use the same technique to make candied lemon or orange peel. The technique for candied grapefruit peel is slightly different (as detailed below) because more pith—the bitter white layer between the outer peel and the flesh of citrus fruit—must be removed.

Keep the pan of simmering water nearby to re-warm the chocolate as you are working. You will need about 30 1 1/2-inch and 12 2 1/2-inch paper candy cups; they are available at most baking supply stores.

The candied orange peel can be made up to 3 weeks ahead; store it with the cooking syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Use the juice of these lemons for the mousse, and use some of the syrup for lemon sauce. Make this recipe a day before the mousse.

Serve these easy-to-prepare peaches with scoops of ice cream, and drizzle with pan juices.

The lemon slices can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.

For the prettiest chips, use blemish-free pears that are not quite ripe. A mandoline will help make the pear slices perfectly even.

Candied orange slices top fragrant vanilla-orange cupcakes; a circle of tiny piped buttercream dots frames each slice. Feel free to garnish with other candied citrus, such as lemons or blood oranges.

You can make praline from any variety of toasted nuts (preferably blanched or skinless). The Butterscotch Praline Cream Pie features this variation, crushed and folded into the whipped cream and sprinkled over the top.

Use this technique to make other candied citrus slices, such as lime, orange, or kumquat.

Garth’s mom was famous for her fudge, and I feel honored to include her recipe in this cookbook. I think that one of her secrets was the old, deep cast-iron skillet she used to make it in. I know the peanut butter makes it really smooth!

Georgia produces more peanuts than peaches—maybe it should be called the peanut state! This is one great way to use them. Daddy loved peanut brittle, and he made this all the time when I was growing up.

While the prominent taste of a ganache will always be chocolate, the essence of other ingredients will enhance the overall ganache. This recipe calls for vanilla extract, which is really imperceptible when combined with the chocolate, but it softens some of the bitterness of the dark chocolate. In place of the vanilla, any other liqueur, extract, or coffee can be added.