Nut

At the fish market, ask them to remove the head, tail and bones from the trout, then to cut each trout into two fillets, leaving the skin intact.

Chewy, candy-like caramel cookies enhanced with orange and crystallized ginger. The leftover orange sugar syrup is a delicious sweetener for hot tea.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Recipes for this dessert, also known as chocolate upside-down cake and hot fudge pudding cake, turn up in cookbooks published by women's clubs and church guilds all around the Midwest. The cake separates into layers as it bakes, making its own sauce.

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

(GELATO AL PISTACCHIO) Gelato is made from whole milk, egg yolks, sugar and natural flavoring. This version calls for pistachio nuts. Softer in texture and more intense in taste and color than typical ice cream, gelato is one of Italy's great culinary creations.

If you're short on time, you can skip the white chocolate decoration.

Christmas cookie baking starts Thanksgiving weekend for one food editor. Together with her mother, she makes family favorites like the buttery balls below.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's a flourless chocolate cake with a light, soufflé-like texture. Serve it with some coffee ice cream.

The warm goat cheese toasts make delicious croutons for the salad, but they would also be an easy hors d'oeuvre.

This almost flourless cake is easy to prepare.

I hated this salad when I was growing up: It was pink, had too many ingredients in it, and my very Southern family loved it — three good reasons to abstain. During Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, my mother would always go back for seconds, chiming, "You don't know what you're missing." But I knew, all right — an unappealing mishmash of canned fruit and mayonnaise. No thanks. However, as I've grown older my family's "Southern classics" don't embarrass me as much. I've actually eaten this salad many times as an adult, and though I'm not saying it's my favorite, sometimes I need seconds to be sure.

A perfect partner to salad. Accompany with a platter of celery sticks and radishes with their tops attached.