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These biscotti can be baked in different size pans — even free form on a baking sheet — depending on what shape you’d like them to be. We used an 11- by 4-inch pan for a square shape. A 9- by 5- by 3-inch pan yields a long, narrow rectangle. The cooking time will not be affected by the pan you use.

Hazelnuts are teamed with strawberries and rhubarb in this rustic tart. Vanilla ice cream is a must for serving.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cake making was quite a fad in the twenties. The new gas stoves were efficient, reliable and easy to operate; besides, with more women working outside the home, there wasn’t as much time to prepare multiple desserts, so fancy layer cakes were made to satisfy everyone. Marshmallows were popular in the decade, and they were used in desserts, salads and side dishes. Here they sweeten an old-fashioned frosting and decorate this easy-to-make chocolate cake.

If you choose to omit the sweetbreads, simply begin the recipe by sautéing the pancetta. (In that case, you may also want to purchase a larger veal or pork loin — going up to a 5-pound veal loin or a 6-pound pork loin.)

A longtime favorite of copy editor Brenda Koplin. They are great for parties and make lovely gifts, too. Brenda likes to pack them in pretty containers, with the recipe included.

When I was a little girl, my Aunt Lisl always made butter cookies at Hanukkah time. We decorated them. The cookies were stored in her garage in airtight containers. Sometimes we got to take some of them home. Other times, we just nibbled on them at her house. One of the best things about cooking with relatives is that it's a great time to ask for family stories. While we baked, Aunt Lisl told wonderful tales of my father's boyhood in Germany.

Ask your butcher to make a "pocket" in the veal breast for you.

While this recipe isn't terribly difficult, it is labor-intensive. We recommend you break it up into a couple of steps: Make the filling, then enlist a friend or two to help you do the rolling the following day.

Ukrainian Dessert Dumplings These stuffed dessert dumplings with a chewy noodle-dough wrapping are a Ukrainian specialty. The fruit fillings vary widely—ours are stuffed with dried apricots and walnuts, then sprinkled with a cinnamon-crumb topping.

We think all turkeys are improved by brining (soaking in salt water), but it's a cumbersome task that few holiday schedules can accommodate. We find kosher turkeys, which are salted during the koshering process, to be just as flavorful and succulent as brined ones, without all the fuss. However, if you'd like to try brining, stir together 8 quarts water with 2 cups kosher salt in a 5-gallon bucket lined with a large heavy-duty plastic garbage bag and soak your raw turkey, covered and chilled, 10 hours. *Note: The Spinach, Bacon, and Cashew stuffing for this turkey is contained in the Stuffed Onions recipe.

We like serving these chewy, moist almond cakes, which are based on the financier, a French pastry, in individual gratin dishes, but the batter can also be baked in a 9-inch glass pie plate for 30 to 35 minutes.

These are based on the wonderful pecan pralines of noted cookbook author and columnist Marion Cunningham.

This dessert is an Italian takeoff on a classic French dish, Poire Belle-Hélène-poached pear with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Here the pear is teamed with a hazelnut-orange_semifreddo_ (a sweet Italian frozen mousse) and a Frangelico chocolate sauce. For smaller appetites, cut the semifreddo into eight portions and the pears in half.