Food Processor

Harira Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 12 1/2 hr

An easy substitute for the mascarpone, a soft Italian cream cheese, is 12 ounces cream cheese blended with six tablespoons whipping cream and 1/4 cup sour cream.

This cake is actually better when prepared ahead and chilled overnight— it allows the flavors to fully develop and the cake layer to absorb more of the cream. Top the roulade with more cream, pecans, and crystallized ginger just before serving.

You might be tempted to bake 2 sheets of cookies at a time in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Don't give in to this urge—the cookies must go in the middle of the oven to cook through and brown evenly.

These tiny turnovers have the same balance of filling to dough as my number one favorite cookie, rugelach, but they are easier to prepare because they aren't rolled. Rugelach means rolled; therefore, I have dubbed these "un-rugelach." The buttery cinnamon/walnut flavors fill your mouth with opulent pleasure, but despite their richness, they are easy to keep on eating because of the fresh tangyness from the apricot jam filling.

These hors d'oeuvres are a nice addition to a cocktail party.

A traditional French cake, the financier is usually made from ground almonds blended with butter and egg whites. Individual rectangular financiers are popular in France's pastry shop.

There will be plenty of leftover biscotti for afternoon coffee breaks.

Maple syrup is one of New England's unique gifts to the culinary world. The natural sweetener is a wonderful complement to all kinds of ingredients but is especially good when teamed with pears, which are plentiful in fall. Here they're partnered in a cobbler, an old-fashioned dessert of fruit baked with a biscuit topping. Make sure to pass whipped cream flavored with the delicate syrup.

This parsley-based pesto is a nice alternative to the classic basil one--and it's especially handy for December, when there might not be fresh basil at the market. The recipe yields about 1 1/3 cups of sauce.

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