Calvados

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 hr (includes cooling)

Elegant batons of carrots, parsnips, and rutabagas make a pretty presentation. Serve this alongside roast pork, beef, or lamb. Market tip: If carrots still have the tops attached, make sure they are bright green and fresh-looking. Choose cream-colored parsnips that taper gently; this makes it easier to cut uniform pieces. Medium-size rutabagas (about the size of a yellow onion) are best; larger ones can be woody.

These apples are a perfect garnish for the spiced apple cake and caramelized apple crêpes. They're terrific as a topping for ice cream, too. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

This quick dessert is like a crustless apple tart. It's a terrific way to use the fruit of the season and a perfect finish for the pork chops

Though perfectly delicious on its own, this ice cream also makes a great accompaniment to spiced apple cake or caramelized apple crêpes. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 12 hr

Pork, always a favorite in the Midwest and the South, gained popularity early in the century. Immigrants from pork-loving countries such as Germany and Poland were crowding the cities and finding that fresh pork, a luxury back home, was abundant and affordable. Recipes of the time called for pan-frying chops, covering them with apples and baking them for an hour or so. But that would leave today’s pork, which is less fatty, very dry. Here, brining is the trick for making pork chops flavorful and juicy.

Early French gardeners developed the espalier method of growing fruit trees-the trees are trained to grow flat against a wall or trellis-so they could take full advantage of the sun and use small plots of land efficiently. October finds markets full of newly harvested crisp apples that add wonderful flavor to this traditional French tart.

Dollops of cinnamon-flavored sour cream top this luscious soup.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

This recipe yields more than is needed for the Parisienne apples. Use the remainder on pancakes or waffles, or as a flavorful boost for hot cereal. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 10 min

Apple wedges are an imaginative addition to the gravy. Serve this turkey with a buttery Chardonnay.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

Roast goose with apples, a specialty of Alsace, has become a classic Hanukkah dish in Paris. This recipe comes from Didier Lewkowicz, a butcher in the old Jewish quarter of Paris. Serve a French red Bordeaux with the goose.

Brining the pork makes it especially juicy.