Chocolate cake is always, always a good idea. And pretty much every occasion calls for chocolate cake. Birthdays, weekdays, rough weeks, major accomplishments — chocolate cake makes it better.

You’ve already started cheating on your resolutions a bit, right? And now Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Not that you needed an excuse to eat more chocolate cake, but you’ve got one if ...

Note: Adapted from a recipe by Todd Aarons. Aarons uses Scharffen Berger chocolate and serves the cake with kosher, whipped nondairy cream. Kosher unsalted margarine is available at kosher markets. 1.

The braised lamb is redolent of pomegranates and cumin. The chicken dumpling soup is fragrant with Persian limes and cardamom. Pan-seared potato gnocchi are laced with dried porcini, mesquite-grilled ...