Dried Cherry

These can be cut out the night before, refrigerated unbaked on a baking sheet, and then popped into the oven in the morning. They will be ready in just 20 minutes.

Here's a real treat for the lunch box. Adding dried cherries and chocolate chips turns classic oatmeal cookies into something new.

Dried cherries and fresh cranberries pair beautifully. Cloves are a festive touch.

A celebration of midwestern cherries.

Be sure to order an uncut wheel of Brie ahead of time from a cheese shop or specialty foods store. The entire wheel is baked with a flavorful chutney; any leftover chutney is great with curries or roasts.

This is a poetic version of the traditional Chinese almond milk gelatin dessert. Whipping the milk gives the top layer of this dessert the appearance of snow. Fat-free (skim) milk will create the most foam.

When the weather turns chilly, a dinner of perfectly cooked duck, with crispy skin, rosy succulent meat, and a balanced fruity sauce, is something to dream about. This duck dish delivers all these things. It calls for whole ducks which can be found fresh or frozen in most supermarkets for a price per pound not much more than chicken. The breast and leg meat are removed from the carcass and marinated. The carcass is made into stock, strained, and boiled down into a rich sauce. When it's time to cook the duck, the legs are baked in the oven until fully cooked, tender, and crispy, and the breasts are sautéed on top of the stove until the skin crisps but the meat is still rosy. If you are not confident cutting up the duck yourself, buy a fresh duck from a butcher, who will cut it for you. Don't let the many steps scare you off. The result is well worth it, and you can do much of the work the day ahead. The day before, or the morning of serving day: Cut up the duck and marinate it; make the duck stock (3 hours); and strain the stock and boil it down to make the sauce (1 hour). **20 minutes before serving:**Begin cooking the duck breasts. 45 minutes before serving: Begin cooking the duck legs; reheat the sauce. 5 minutes before serving: Allow the duck to rest, then slice and serve.

A touch of cardamom lends subtle spice to these innovative crescent-shaped rolls.

Jeanne Thiel Kelley, a contributing editor at Bon Appétit, says, "As far back as I can remember, my father has been glazing the holiday ham with Marsala (we always have ham and turkey on Thanksgiving). When I started making the cranberry sauce, I decided to mix in a little Marsala, figuring that the combination would complement the ham nicely. I was right, and the sauce is terrific with turkey, too. Rosemary might seem like an unusual seasoning in this sauce, but for me it's a natural addition. I live in Southern California, and fresh rosemary is just everywhere."

This free-form tart is wonderful topped with caramel sauce and Crème Fraîche.

Pack the candy in decorative holiday tins (antique ones, if you can find them).

This recipe is an accompaniment for Yogurt Panna Cotta with Cherry and Peach Compote .