Pairing buckwheat with chocolate may seem odd until you try it. Both are smoky, earthy, velvety and strong, making them perfectly suited for the others' company. I like to have a gluten-free chocolate option in my repertoire that's not the clichéd torte, which can be too heavy for a lot of occasions. This cake is also great for laid-back Passover Seders. (But don't make the mistake I did of trying it out on the more Orthodox side of my family.) More

Even if you despise cheesecake, as I tend to, I beg of you to try this version. Be warned—it's barely sweet. Feel free to alter that if you like. More

Lemon seed cake will keep, wrapped well, refrigerated for up to 10 days. I like it best the next day because its flavors tend to marry and the cake moistens, but who can say no to a slice of just-baked cake with sticky glaze? More

It seems odd to say that one of my favorite aspects of this ice cream is its bitterness—its 1-2 punch of double bitterness created by the burning of the honey and the long steeping of a tannic roasted tea—but it's true. More

I have a thing for foresty flavors. If a tea is described as mossy; if pine needles are infused into a custard; if gnomes built their homes and hung their tall red felt hats there, I'm in. While making a California Bay Laurel leaf pastry cream and blueberry compote for a filled doughnut, I discovered the blueberry's affinity with piney flavors. At Peels, where I'm the pastry chef, we offer seasonal herb, fruit and vegetable monthly-changing sweet and savory scones. Cornmeal offers great textural juxtaposition, as well as an obvious seasonal pairing. On the East Coast there's no better berry to dedicate late summer bakery offerings to than our prized blueberries. More