Season 2

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  Chocolate Desserts

  A sponge cake that doesn’t roll or a frosting that’s gritty can ruin a great holiday dessert. The test kitchen shows you how to make showy desserts with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of flavor.

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  Chilled Summer Puddings

  Light summer desserts, made with or accompanied by fruit, are perfect for summer eating. The test kitchen tackles the challenges of panna cotta, rhubarb fool, and summer berry pudding.

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  Peach Pie

  Nothing says summer like a slice of peach pie or a bowl of cherry cobbler. The test kitchen reports on the best ways to make these classic desserts.

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  Apple Pies

  Every cook has horror stories about making apple pie—sometimes the crust is too tough, sometimes it is crumbly or unworkable. The test kitchen shows how to do it right with our pie dough recipe, which is the culmination of years of kitchen work and testing.

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  Diner Pies

  Those cream-topped pies in the revolving case at the diner always look better than they taste. Chocolate cream pie can be thick and stodgy if too much starch is added, while Key lime pie can be loose and slurpy if improperly thickened. In this episode, the test kitchen reveals the keys to making these favorite pies.

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  Two French Tarts

  All too often, fancy French tarts draw you in with their beguiling looks—but venture beneath the surface and you will be disappointed. In this episode, the test kitchen turns out French tarts—a lemon tart and a fresh fruit tart— that put even the finest pâtisseries to shame.