Citrus

Using blood orange juice in the dressing means less oil is necessary, which lowers the fat in this dish. Mâche, sometimes called lamb's lettuce, can be found in four-ounce packages in the produce section of many supermarkets.

Sweet and tangy kumquats make this sparkling cocktail extra special.

Ambrosia may sound exotic, but it's simply chilled fruit (typically oranges or bananas) tossed with coconut and sugar. In some homes, it is served as a salad as well as a dessert. Here, food editor Alexis Touchet put her own spin on this southern classic by bringing cake into the picture, and moving the oranges to the filling and pressing the coconut into the frosting.

Michele Evola of New York, New York, writes: "I thought you might enjoy this family recipe. My aunt Bess puts fresh persimmons in the freezer so she can make these bars anytime." When Hachiya persimmons are very ripe, they're so fragile that they nearly turn to juice. If you want to freeze them as Michelle Evola's aunt Bess does, we suggest first putting them on a baking sheet in the freezer until they harden. Then wrap them in plastic wrap while they're hard and freeze them in a sealed plastic bag.

If you're making the striped bass in agrodolce sauce as well as this salad, save 1/3 cup chopped fennel fronds for garnishing the fish.

Be sure to use high-quality chocolate here — the flavor really comes through.

Squash with long, thin necks will yield uniform rounds when sliced and ensure even cooking.

For best flavor and moist, juicy meat, brine the turkey for 36 to 48 hours. If you are planning to brine it in a cooler, plan on needing extra ice. Kosher salt is preferred in most brine recipes for its pure flavor and because it dissolves quickly.

This topping for the meringue roulade tastes great no matter what type of fig you use, but purple ones, such as Mission, will turn your syrup a beautiful shade of pink.

This is a sweet dessert compote — it does not go with the turkey. The oranges are cooked to make sure all the bitterness is released, so it's important that they're sliced very thin — an extremely sharp thin-bladed knife is best for the task.

This bright, flavorful fall preserve is best when allowed to stand overnight. It's great on toast or alongside sautéed duck breasts.

There are several stories about how this drink got its name, but one of the most common, from the 1950s, is that American oil rig workers would add vodka to canned orange juice, which they opened and stirred with their screwdrivers.

This punch — containing rum, Cognac, and peach brandy — is potent. If it packs a bit too much of a wallop for your taste, you can dilute it with cold black tea, a common mixer for this particular punch, or with seltzer water, for a bit of fizz. Some punch bowls may not be big enough to accommodate the size ice block we call for — feel free to use other freezing containers that are more suitably shaped. And though the block is a classic part of this recipe, you can, of course, simply serve the punch in a pitcher over ice cubes.