Sweet: Perfect pear at Laughlin's Bakery

To give his delicate pear tartlet deeper fruit flavor, Jonas Laughlin reserves the liquid leftover from poaching fresh pears in white wine, sugar and vanilla, creating a syrup. "That's the glaze for the tartlet," says the baker-owner of Laughlin's Bakery. For extra spice, Laughlin adds a dash of cardamom to the dough. It's one of the many ways he captures the taste of each season at his Short North bakeshop. This winter, look for timely treats like gingerbread, Moravian sugar cake ("It's something from the South, where I am from, that's ubiquitous to Christmas," he says), Christmas cookie boxes and stollen. laughlinsbakery.com