Cranberry

These red-and-green-flecked cookies are particularly festive at Christmas; Martha likes to bake several batches to give away as gifts.

These muffins offer a nice balance of tart and sweet flavors.

In a season filled with supersweet treats of all sorts, this aptly named tart stands out for its mouth-puckering flavor. Serve it on Thanksgiving or Christmas—it’s equally suited to both holidays. To keep the crust from becoming soggy when the cranberries are added, brush lightly beaten egg white onto the partially baked shell.

Rather than weaving strips of dough under and over one another, the latticelike design for this pie is formed by cutting squares from a round of rolled-out pâte brisée. The cutouts are arranged around the edge of the pie plate, in overlapping fashion, for a striking frame.

Here, a dozen petite pies are baked in pâte sucrée–lined muffin cups. A small amount of blood-orange juice sweetens the tart cranberries, but not overly so. You can assemble and bake the pies a day ahead, but for the best presentation, wait to top each with meringue until just before serving. If you can’t find blood oranges, use a regular variety.

Green pistachios and red cranberries combine to make a cookie perfect for Christmas. Cornmeal gives these biscotti an extra crumbly and sandy texture, while the dried cranberries add a chewy element.

This one’s from my co-author. Growin’ up in southeastern Pennsylvania around lots of fruit trees, she makes a mean crisp.

My sister Beth’s sister-in-law, Margaret, makes this salad, and it’s a nice alternative to plain cranberry sauce for holiday meals. In fact, it’s rich enough to serve as a dessert!

This dough is quite versatile and works for savory empanadas just as well as for sweet tarts and turnovers. It’s also incredibly easy to work with; not only does it resist sticking, but it’s almost impossible to overwork. (The secret is the cream cheese!) If you can, make a double batch of the dough and freeze for later use.

EVERYONE HAS A FAVORITE cranberry sauce recipe, made once a year for Thanksgiving, but cranberry sauce is so versatile it really should be a year-round condiment. This is a longtime Pasta & Co favorite, where dried sour cherries add sweetness and depth to the tart cranberries. You can find sour cherries at specialty stores, often in the bulk food section.

Try this syrup mixed with sparkling water to make fruit sodas, or add to lemonade with a sprig of mint to make pink raspberry lemonade. For an aperitif, pour a little into a glass and add white wine, Champagne, or spirits.

This cake is very versatile and can be made with apples, pears, peaches, plums, or any full-flavored, slightly acidic fruit. Arrange the sliced fruit as you would for a Tarte Tatin (page 366).

At Christmas time in Italy every visitor seems to show up with a panettone for his host, meaning most homes end up with lots of extra panettone. I’ve become pretty creative when it comes to finding new uses for this delicious, fruit-laden yeast bread. Bread pudding is one obvious possibility, but I once cut some up for croutons and thought they were sensational. Combined with candy-sweet roasted fruits and peppery arugula, they make a very sophisticated dish to serve with poached eggs for brunch or alongside grilled chicken or chops.

The Clafouti is essentially a fruit-laden baked pancake. I love this Americanized version, which is crunchy and sweet.

A standard braised chicken, with a not-so-standard tart fruit sauce whose acidity cuts through the richness of the meat to make a dish that is always a surprising hit. The sauce can also be used with roast chicken or, for that matter, pork or turkey. Any of these can be served with Kasha (page 528) or any other simple grain dish, and a salad or vegetable.