This simple French classic has only 4 ingredients and comes together in about 20 minutes. Then just pop into the fridge, and it will be ready to impress at the end of your meal! Silky smooth and decadent, there is a good reason that chocolate mousse is a classic.
I have been in a French cooking frenzy lately, but I am still on the hunt for recipes that are simple and don't involve a lot of fuss. This is exactly the type of recipe that makes me happy: simple ingredients, not too long in the kitchen, and an impressive end result.

The trickiest thing about it is that you need to separate your eggs. Truthfully, it isn't difficult at all, but sometimes I look at a recipe and (lazy person that I am) I feel annoyed to see that as a step. This recipe is so simple that I can excuse a little egg separating. I like to do this step right away, so that my eggs are ready to go.

Chocolate Mousse

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• whipped cream, optional

Don't be intimidated by madeleines. These French butter cakes come together really quickly and easily and they are so delicious. You can even prepare the batter the day before, and then pop them in the oven just before you want to eat them.
Little bite-sized cakes... could anything be cuter? They go perfectly with tea in the afternoon, but I will eat these any time of day. They are certainly at their best within an hour or so after baking, so either prepare, bake, and then eat them right away, or cover your batter tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake them (within the next 24 hours).

The only special equipment that you need is, of course, a madeleine pan, which gives the cakes their shell shape. I recommend this nonstick version which makes baking these a snap. This recipe was adapted from The Violet Bakery Cookbook by Claire Ptak. Claire weighs all of her ingredients which is the most precise way to bake, but not the way I normally do it. However, I recently acquired a little scale (small, stainless, and so easy to store) and used it for this recipe. I am also including Claire's cup measurements below.

Simplest Madeleines

Makes about 20

• 7 tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus a little more for greasing the madeleine pan
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 3/4 cup (100 g) all-purpose flour, plus a little more for dusting the madeleine pan
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• powdered sugar, for sprinkling

1. First, brush some melted butter onto your madeleine pan and dust with flour, shaking it about to cover evenly and letting the excess fall away. Pop the pan into your freezer.

2. Preheat your oven to 325 F.

3. Melt the rest of your butter in a small pan, and then remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the (now cooled) melted butter and the extracts. In another bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Whisk this mixture into the egg and butter mixture until smooth.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared madeleine pan. You only want to fill each mold about 2/3 full. The batter will expand and fill the mold, so better to do too little than too much and have it overflow. For me, it was less than a tablespoon per mold. You should have enough batter to make one full pan, and then about 8-10 more cakes.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The tops should spring back to the touch and be golden around the edges. Let cool for a minute or two, and turn out onto a baking rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy as soon as possible for maximum deliciousness.

* Prepare in advance: You can make the batter up to a day in advance. Press plastic wrap tightly over the batter, and store in the fridge until ready to bake. 

Panna cotta is a creamy, elegant dessert that is very simple to make. This recipe adds the flavors of clementine and warm vanilla.
Panna cotta, and its fancy Italian name, has the air of a dish you would only order at a restaurant. In fact, it is incredibly easy to make. The only challenging part about it can be unmolding it to create a perfectly smooth dome. I prefer to make it in a pretty dish and not bother with unmolding. Because it isn't baked, you can serve it in just about any pretty glass (a martini glass, for example) or bowl (like the lotus bowls that I used here).

It does need to be made in advance, so that it has time to firm up in the fridge. The good news is that it can be made the day before, so it is one less thing to think about while prepping your dinner!

Clementine Vanilla Panna Cotta

Makes 4 servings

• 1 packet powdered gelatin (such as Knox Gelatin)
• zest and juice from 1 large or 2 small clementines (or 1 orange)
• 3/4 teaspoon clementine zest 
• 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream

1. Heat up the heavy cream and sugar in a heavy saucepan just until sugar is dissolved (steaming a bit, but not boiling). Remove from heat. Add the zest. If you are using vanilla extract, stir it in. If you are using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the hot cream and toss in the bean as well. Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bean, and then reheat before continuing.

2. Place the juice into a medium bowl. Sprinkle the packet of gelatin over the juice, and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

3. Pour the very warm cream mixture into the bowl with the gelatin and juice. (If the cream had cooled to let the vanilla infuse, be sure to reheat it until just steaming before adding.) Stir well until all the gelatin has dissolved.

4. If you are planning on unmolding, lightly oil four ramekins, custard cups, or whatever you choose to use. If you aren't going to unmold them, you can skip this step.

5. Divide the panna cotta mixture equally between the 4 ramekins. Refrigerate a couple hours before serving. (Or you can make them the day before. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

6. If you are unmolding, dip the ramekin briefly into very hot water and then invert onto a plate. If you aren't unmolding, just dig in.

Adapted from a basic panna cotta recipe by David Lebovitz.

I love the fresh tart-sweet taste of key lime pie any time of year. It is cooling in the summer, and a mood-lifter in the winter. This key lime tart features an easy crust that practically makes itself in a food processor, and an even easier filling. It is a great candidate for making ahead of time when preparing your big holiday feast.

The one thing that makes this dessert a little more labor intensive is the key lime juice. You need to squeeze a whole heckuva lot of key limes to get a half cup of juice. I bought a 1 pound bag from my grocery store and found that I needed to squeeze almost all of them. The tool that I have and love, which makes juicing lemons and limes a breeze is this hand juicer. I definitely recommend it as part of your arsenal.

Do you have to use key limes? No, feel free to use regular limes, and nobody will judge you. I would stick to fresh juice though.

Key Lime Tart with a Pecan Coconut Crust

Serves 6-8

For the crust:

• 8 whole graham crackers
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), melted
• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (most of a 1 pound bag of key limes)
• 2 whole egg yolks
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• whipped cream, for topping
• lime zest, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch tart pan lightly with baking spray.

To make the crust: In a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add sugar and melted butter and pulse a few times to combine. Add the pecans and pulse until coarsely ground. Add coconut and pulse 3 or 4 times.

Press into your prepared tart pan, spreading it evenly with your fingers and pressing firmly both on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 5 minutes, and then set aside and let cool while making the filling.

To make the filling: Mix lime zest, lime juice, and egg yolks in a large bowl. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth and thick (it won't take long). Pour the mixture into your crust and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely at room temperature. Then refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing and serving. Top with whipped cream and lime zest, if using.

Adapted from The Cafe Sucre Farine and Pioneer Woman.

The crust is super buttery with a pleasant toothsome crunch from the addition of some cornmeal and the coarse sugar scattered over the top. I used a jar of really beautiful small-batch blackberry jam - one that was really fruity with big juicy chunks of berries. You could use any jam really, as long as it was nice and thick and not runny. I loved how the full flavor of the blackberries balanced out the buttery crust.

BLACKBERRY JAM TART

Serves 8.

• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup stone ground cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 jar of blackberry jam (around 10-15 oz)
• coarse raw sugar, for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, beat together the room temperature butter and sugar until well combined. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and almond extract.

2. You will use about two-thirds of your dough to line your tart pan, and the other one-third for the topping. Transfer the one-third of dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a log about 2-inches in diameter. Wrap it into plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you are ready for it.

3. Take the remaining two-thirds of your dough and press it evenly into and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.

4. Spread the jam over the dough.

5. Remove the log of dough from the refrigerator and slice into thin disks. Lay them over the jam in concentric circles. Sprinkle coarse raw sugar generously over the top (at least two tablespoons).

6. Bake at 375 F for about 20-25 minutes, until your crust is a lovely golden color. Let cool completely before slicing.

Adapted from David Lebovitz