Sugar

Serves 6 Mascarpone is a rich, creamy Italian cheese. You can substitute a mixture of sour cream and whole-milk yogurt or low-fat yogurt, if you like. 1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered 6 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste 1 1/2 cups mascarpone Grated rind of 1 lemon 1. In a glass bowl, layer the strawberries with 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and set the bowl aside for the berries to macerate for 4 hours.

In the Globe's editorial defending bake sales (" Bake sales: Not so fattening after all, " May 12), you write, "Unlike chemicalized commercial confections that rattle the teeth with their sugar content, baked goods at a local charity sale are homemade, and an expression of community spirit. " Would you write on the automobile page, "Unlike the Ford Foobar, which has a top speed of 90 miles per hour, the Chevrolet Conundrum is red and is made in Wichita?" The "contrasting" part of your sentence doesn't contrast.

Makes 2 quarts Pickled beets are often too sweet (think Harvard beets, which are cloying) or too sour (19th-century New England cooking school teacher Fannie Farmer preserved hers with nothing more than distilled vinegar). The key to pickling beets is the right balance. Boil the brine in a stainless steel or ceramic-lined pot; avoid aluminum as it will cause off flavors. For long-term pantry storage, boiling water processing is necessary; visit the National Center for Home Food Processing at www.uga.edu/nchfp for more details.

Serves 4 The classic Italian combination of garlic, lemon rind, and parsley, called gremolata, enhances this salad of barley, asparagus, sugar snaps, and cherry tomatoes. Serve with grilled chicken or fish. ⅔ cup barley, rinsed Salt and pepper, to taste 3 cups water 1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off, stalks cut into 2-inch lengths 20 sugar snap peas, strings removed, pods cut thickly on the diagonal 1 pint red or golden...

Serves 8 A beautiful way to present this is to cut the cake into 8 wedges, and cut each one in half horizontally. Add cream and berries to the bottom layers and add a top to each. A quicker way is to cut the cake into eight pieces, pile on the cream and berries, and dust the edges with confectioners' sugar. SHORTCAKE Butter (for the pan) Flour (for the pan) 2cups flour ½teaspoon salt 1½teaspoons baking powder½cup granulated sugar ¾cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut up 1cup heavy cream 1egg, lightly beaten Extra granulated sugar (for sprinkling)

"Sugar" asks us a favor, and it's this: The next time you cheer when Big Papi comes to bat, think about the hundreds of Dominican baseball players you'll never, ever hear about. Kids on whose sinewy shoulders the hopes of their families are piled. Young men who look across the ocean and see unimaginable fame hanging there like a slow, lazy meatball coming across the plate. This beautifully observed drama, unerring in its details, tells of one such boy: Miguel Santos (Algenis Perez Soto)

It takes at least 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, but the early New Englanders didn’t care because they didn’t make syrup. Syrup required refrigeration to prevent mold, so they boiled the sap down to sugar. Learn more at Maple Sugar Making at Old Sturbridge Village where historians will demonstrate the process from tapping the trees to “sugaring off.’’ There will be tastings. Yum. Today, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Sat and Sun through March 28). Museum admission is $20, $18 seniors, $7 ages 3-17 (free return visit within 10 days)

Kelli McPherson will present "Sugar and Your Health" from 6 to 7 p.m., Jan. 30, at the public library. McPherson will discuss how sugar affects the body and give tips on how to gain control over sugar cravings. The lecture is free and open to the public. - Christine Legere

Makes enough for one 9-inch cake 4 cups confectioners' sugar 3 1/2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon almond extract 1. Into a large bowl, sift the sugar. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, until the icing is smooth and pourable. Stir in the almond extract. 2. Slowly pour icing over the cake and smooth with a spatula. Adapted from "Home Cooking"

Makes about 3 dozen 3 cups flour 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably fine sea salt 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup canola oil 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar 1 egg ...

At Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant, people will wait for more than an hour for Manchego grits and lemon ricotta pancakes, not to mention the best stuffed French toast known to mankind (left). Picture three thick slices of homemade challah, dipped in milk and egg with a bit of cinnamon. Stuffed between the warm slices is a slab of brie and some fig confiture. The brie melts into a delicious ooze, and the figs add a nice fruity note. SUGAR BAKING CO. & RESTAURANT > 4170 Washington Street, Roslindale, 617-327-4174, sugarbakingcompany.com  — Bella English

Serves 6 Goat's milk adds a slight tang to this flan. Long, slow cooking keeps the dessert smooth and creamy. 1½ cups sugar ¼ cup water 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 4 whole eggs plus 2 extra yolks 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup goat's milk 1. Set the oven at 250 degrees. Have on hand six 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Place a folded dish towel in a large roasting pan. 2. In a skillet, spread ¾ cup of the sugar.

Makes 16 The warm, sweet scent of cinnamon and butter emerging from the oven are irresistible. These two elements go into a bundle of flaky, tender triangular scones that are straight-forward to produce. When cutting the butter into the flour, make sure the bits of butter are reduced to small, thin flakes. And once the dough comes together with the buttermilk, knead very lightly. If your kitchen is warm, or it's humid out, refrigerate the rounds of dough for 1 to 2 hours to firm them up. Here, cinnamon is the central flavor, but you can add chopped toasted walnuts or bits of dried fruit for more...

You can roll out a sugar cookie dough and use alphabet stamps or the tip of a paring knife to shape letters. We spelled out "congratulations" anddecided not to hollow out the o's and g's so the letters wouldn't be fragile. For a sugar cookie recipe, go to www.bostonglobe.com/food.Sheryl Julian

Serves 8 Aleppo or maras peppers add a warm heat to this salad. You can also add 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or 1 chopped jalapeno pepper. 1cup fine-grain bulgur (cracked wheat)1cup boiling waterJuice of 2 lemons2teaspoons Aleppo or maraspeppers1bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped1bunch fresh mint, finely chopped1bunch scallions, finely choppedSalt, to taste½cup olive oil½pound sugar snap peas, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal2cups frozen peas, thawed1pint cherry tomatoes, quarteredExtra mint (for garnish)

Serves 8 A beautiful way to present this is to cut the cake into 8 wedges, and cut each one in half horizontally. Add cream and berries to the bottom layers and add a top to each. A quicker way is to cut the cake into eight pieces, pile on the cream and berries, and dust the edges with confectioners' sugar. SHORTCAKE Butter (for the pan) Flour (for the pan) 2cups flour ½teaspoon salt 1½teaspoons baking powder½cup granulated sugar ¾cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut up 1cup heavy cream 1egg, lightly beaten Extra granulated sugar (for sprinkling)

Scituate resident Lara Amaral is holding a free presentation on how to curb sugar and carbohydrate cravings at the Scituate Town Library next Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Amaral will share her tricks on fending off the sugar blues. Amaral is the founder of Authentically You! Wellness and Authentically You! Powersnacks, and is a certified holistic health coach. For more information, visit www.authenticallyyouwellness.com. - Jessica Bartlett

Serves 4 SPONGE 1 1/4 ounces fresh cake yeast or 2 packages ( 1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast 1 1/3 cups warm milk 1 3/4 cups flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 egg, beaten to mix 1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and the sugar; set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy.

Makes 6 2¼cups flour1cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into1-inch pieces⅓cup water2teaspoons apple cider vinegar½teaspoon saltExtra flour (for sprinkling)1egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of waterCinnamon-sugar made with 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon and 5 tablespoons sugar 1. In an electric mixer bowl, combine the flour and butter. Use your hands to toss the mixture to coat the butter with flour. Transfer to the freezer. In a measuring cup, combine the water, vinegar, and salt.