One of the most popular desserts in France is Tarte Tatin. This is the French version of apple pie, the most significant difference being that it is served, with traditional French insouciance, upside down. Start by peeling ten-twelve medium sized apples; these could be Golden Delicious, Macintosh, or most any variety. Cut the apples in fours, removing the core. Then melt four ounces of butter in a deep dish. Add a cup of sugar and heat until the mixture is caramelized brown. Place the apples tightly together vertically in the caramel mixture. Cook over a low flame for 20-25 minutes, then put the dish in the oven for five minutes at 375 degrees. Take a sheet of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, roll it to fit the dish, open the oven and lay the pastry on top, folding it into the sides as much as possible. Cook for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let it sit until lukewarm, then flip it over onto a flat dish, so that the pastry is on the bottom and the apples are revealed. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Whenever my old friends Jacques and Michelle come to dinner there can be only one dessert—Mouse Au Chocolat. This classic French dish is one of my favorites, and it is very easy to make. You must use excellent dark chocolate; my favorites are Swiss or Belgian, 65% cocoa. Melt 120 grams in a bowl over a pot of boiling water, stir constantly until melted, remove from the flame, then add one stick of butter and let it melt in the hot chocolate. When the mix is lukewarm add 3 egg yokes, stir energetically and then let it sit.

You can add a few teaspoons of cognac at this point, if you like your desserts to do more than warm the palette. In a separate bowl mix 3 egg whites to a firm consistency, add 20 grams of powdered sugar, then combine the two bowls carefully. Do not mix forcefully or you will lose the granular consistency that makes the mouse special. Make the day before use for best results. It will keep; actually it will improve, for days.