Cream Cheese

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

This spicy appetizer is perfect for a last-minute party.

This herbed cheese dip has almost nothing else in it to mask the thyme flavor. Serve with crackers, lightly toasted pita bread, and raw vegetable sticks.

Nicola, Steve's wife, likes this dessert more than any of his others, mostly because you have to eat it with yet more Pedro Ximénez sherry. If you don't want to splash out on the real McCoy, use another good, sweet dark sherry.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Often called black cakes, spice cakes flavored with molasses are a perennial on the southern dessert buffet.

The 1990s opened with American cooks finding their way back to some of the foods and flavors of our country's beginning, then modifying them with new knowledge gained over time. Cheesecakes have been around for centuries, but they've never been more popular in the United States than they are right now. Pumpkin, too, is a New World food for which tradition reserves an honored place at any Thanksgiving table. We've teamed up these old favorites with luscious caramel in a creamy dessert that's right in step with the times.

Pumpkin adds beautiful color to the all-American cheesecake while pecan praline makes a southern-style topping. Begin preparing this cake a day ahead.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Crunchy peanuts team up with peanut butter and caramel in this decadent candy bar-like sweet.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Crunchy hazelnut praline adds a touch of sophistication to this rich cheesecake. Begin preparing the cake a day before serving.