Food Processor

For this soup, cook your favorite winter squash.

Almond paste in the shortcake biscuits and fresh berries glazed with red currant preserves give this dessert a Swedish accent.

Store-bought mayonnaise just doesn't compare to the flavor of homemade aïoli. However, if you're short on time or concerned about using raw egg (see cooks' note, below), you could substitute prepared mayo: Just omit the egg yolk and oil, and stir together with remaining ingredients until combined well. This recipe is an accompaniment for Poached Halibut with Saffron Orange Aïoli. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

This chutney is great with sautéed scallops, grilled shrimp, or grilled lamb. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Japanese bread crumbs, called panko , give these cakes a light, crisp coating. Panko is sold at Asian markets and can often be found in the seafood section of large supermarkets. But if it's unavailable, plain dry bread crumbs are an acceptable substitute.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Peach Blackberry Pie . Try to roll out pie dough on a cold surface. If you have a little extra dough, roll it out and make a decorative cutout in the shape of a peach. Place it on the top of the pie.

Danny Toma of Naples, Italy, writes: "As an expatriate southerner working in Italy, I created this recipe to combine my Mississippi roots with my temporary Italian home." This recipe makes a large quantity of pesto. Use half the pesto for 1 pound of cooked pasta and chill the rest in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

These Christmas cookies are topped with white icing and silver dragées for added elegance. Look for the dragées in the cake decorating section of your supermarket.

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

Thanks to the native Wampanoags, the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 were quickly introduced to such important New World foods as cranberries and corn. The newcomers returned the favor by planting apples, which flourished and were soon available in many American varieties. This wonderful holiday pie, with its cornmeal crust and mixed-fruit filling, celebrates that early culinary sharing. It's a delicious combination of some of our most traditional American flavors.

Zabaglione, the Italian custard made of egg yolks, Marsala and sugar, is used as a frozen filling for a crunchy macaroon crust.

These hors d'oeuvres—a dressed-up version of shrimp toasts—are adapted from a recipe by Chinese cooking authority Nina Simonds, a longtime contributor to our pages.

Note: To slice the cucumber in the following recipe into a paper-thin spiral, we used a Japanese rotary device known as the Benriner vegetable slicer.

This pretty, easy-to-make first-course soup is flavorful and creamy, yet is extremely low fat-it has only one tablespoon of butter and no cream at all (except for an optional sour cream garnish). Pour your favorite beer or a fruity white wine throughout the evening.

Apples did so well in the colonies that they were exported to the West Indies, and Virginians eventually sold Pippins back to the mother country.