Dried Fruit

Purchased biscuit dough makes these dessert dumplings a snap to make.

Bulgur is an earthy, nutty grain that becomes fluffy once cooked. It's an ideal canvas for aromatic and sweet flavors.

Unlike traditional fruitcakes, which are usually soaked in liquor and can be prepared weeks in advance, this version is best eaten within five days of baking.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Mark Bittman's book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Pita makes a wonderful crust for this stuck-pot recipe, but you can use tortillas or lavash instead (see the Stuck-Pot Rice and Beans with Tortilla Crust variation). This dish is quite complex in both flavor and texture, and the earthy lentils with lightly caramelized onions and sweet bits of dates or raisins are delicious. Use oil, and this becomes vegan.

Toss with the vinaigrette while rice is warm, so it absorbs the flavors.

Cooking the curry powder with the vegetables mellows its flavor.

Not your typical chicken pot pie. Cumin, cinnamon, and paprika add an aromatic spiciness, which is balanced by briny green olives and sweet golden raisins.

Dried fruit, nuts, and oil-cured olives make this fruitcake something special.

Any combination of dried fruit and nuts will work here, so choose your favorites or just use what you have in your cupboard. For a sweeter treat, swap in semisweet chocolate chips in place of bittersweet.

This is the perfect entrée for a holiday dinner for two. Complete the meal with sautéed green beans and wild mushrooms and a wild-rice pilaf with chopped fresh parsley and hazelnuts. For dessert? Chocolate mousse topped with rum-spiked whipped cream and chopped crystallized ginger.

Garlicky kale, a robust winter green, gains an unexpected twist with dried cranberries' saucy hits of tartness.

This recipe was created by chef Traci Des Jardins of San Francisco's Jardinière. It's part of a special menu she created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. There are two types of persimmons widely available during the Thanksgiving holiday—fuyu and hachiya. Chef Des Jardins prefers the fuyu in savory preparations because its texture is much firmer and the flavor less sweet. When picking fuyu persimmons, look for firm, brightly colored fruit. Start making relish at least 24 hours and up to 3 days in advance to allow the flavors to fully develop.

Use this classic Mexican mole sauce to marinate the Mole-Roasted Turkey with Masa Stuffing and Chile Gravy . You'll be left with plenty of extra, which can be served alongside the turkey or frozen for later use. (Try it on turkey sandwiches, roasted chicken, or as a sauce for turkey or chicken tamales.)

If your dried cranberries aren't plump and moist, cover them with boiling water and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain them and pat dry before using. If you prefer, walnuts or hazelnuts can be substituted for the pecans.

A moist, deeply flavored confection studded with rum-soaked raisins and crunchy pecans, this streamlined one-bowl cake will get compliments even for novice bakers. Plus, it keeps for days. To dress up each serving, why not use store-bought eggnog, which has the consistency of custard sauce.

Egg whites replace the usual oil or butter. This recipe makes a lot of granola, but that's just fine because there are so many things you can do with it. 1. For a breakfast parfait
Layer thawed frozen berries, vanilla yogurt, and granola in a tall glass. Drizzle with honey.
2. As a topping for apple pie
Instead of streusel, sprinkle granola over the apples during the last five minutes of the pie's baking time.
3. For trail mix
Just add M&Ms or white-chocolate chips, and you're ready for a hike.

If you've never cooked with quince before, here's a great intro. It tastes like a cross between an apple and a pear.

This lamb-rich, Uzbek-style pilaf is typical of the fare served by northern Afghans to mark festive occasions. Despite the absence of spices and herbs, it is a surprisingly complex dish.

Try this with the Moroccan-Style Roast Chicken .

Because they're firm and tart, Pippin or Jonathan apples would also be good here.