Citrus

Cloves add a little extra holiday flavor.

Traditionally, gremolata is made with parsley, lemon peel, and garlic. Here, Parmesan adds richness and pecans add crunch.

Blood orange juice gives the dressing great flavor and color. If you can't find it, use 1/2 cup pomegranate juice mixed with 1/4 cup regular orange juice.

Spiked with fragrant lemon and orange peels, and garnished with an orange liqueur–infused whipped cream, this pumpkin pie is full of refreshingly bold flavor.

This recipe is adapted from Will Goldfarb, the innovative chef behind Room 4 Dessert (www.nyr4d.com), in New York City. Egg whites give this drink the body and Chambord provides a jammy punch that complements the berry undertones in this Chocolate-Cranberry Torte . For expert advice on pairing cocktails with food, click here.

Fresh, sprightly — and so easy to make.

Lewis Rossman of Half Moon Bay, California, writes: "I'm a chef, and Mediterranean is probably the best way to describe the kind of cooking I do at my restaurant, Cetrella. There's an emphasis on seafood, plus several dishes inspired by places I've visited like Provence and Catalonia. This is one of my favorite recipes from the menu. It also happens to be the thing I make at home all the time." Thinly sliced lemon — peel and all — gives this dish bright flavor. (No need to peel the lemon since roasting softens the rind.)

What to drink: Roberto Santibañez recommends a Petite Sirah (a full-bodied, peppery red wine varietal) from L.A. Cetto in Mexico's Guadelupe Valley. Or try the Guenoc Petite Sirah from California's North Coast.

This pie is an ideal dessert after a heavy meal. Just a bit of additional sugar allows the bright flavor of lemon to shine through.

Don't be nervous about making meatless mincemeat if you've never tried it before—it's a knockout combination of dried fruits and spices that adds wonderfully deep flavor to baked goods. Here, chunks of sweet pear and a handful of tart fruit create a pie that's fantastic with vanilla ice cream.

The recipe for this eastern European favorite varies from Russia to Slovenia, but it is always rich, sweet, and dense. Poppy seeds can easily become rancid, so make sure your poppy-seed filling tastes fresh.

This type of pan de muertos is made for the celebration of the Days of the Dead, November 1 and 2, when families honor their dead by setting up a colorful altar in the house and preparing special foods to put on it and take to the graveside. While this custom has its roots in pre-Columbian central Mexico, it has become popular even in the north (though a friend from Sonora says that her mother considered it very bizarre). This semisweet yeast bread enriched with egg yolks and other similar breads are circular in form, transversed with "bones," and topped with a "skull." The same dough is used for the rosca de reyes, made for the celebrations for Twelfth Night, January 6. Don't try to hurry the dough along; the flavor will develop better with slow rising. I certainly advise an electric mixer with dough hook for this type of dough, which is rather messy to handle.

Charmoula is a tangy, spicy sauce—in this case, made with cumin, cilantro, garlic, and lemon—that's traditionally served with meat in Morocco.

These are also great tossed into a salad of bitter greens, over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or as a garnish for crème caramel or panna cotta.