Make Ahead

Boiling down the cider gives great apple flavor; parsley adds color and freshness.

Dried and fresh cranberries are simmered in Port for a not-too-sweet, grown-up take on the classic.

With its pure flavor, this firm and simply seasoned flourless cornbread is perfect for use in stuffings. It's also delicious toasted, spread with butter, and drizzled with honey.

Roasted red and green grapes add juicy flavor and refreshing tanginess to this satisfying pilaf-style dressing.

All of the gravy recipes here call for this enhanced stock. What makes it so special? Instead of water, canned chicken broth gets the recipe off to a flavorful start. Simmered with vegetables and the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard, this stock is the key to great gravy.

Deliciously sweet, savory, and salty.

For extra flavor, add leftover (plain) gravy or stuffing to the soup. If using stuffing, stir in one to two cups half an hour before the end of the cooking time. If using gravy, add it just before the soup's done.

This excellent, all-purpose broth can be made three days ahead; keep it covered and chilled.

Impress your guests with these individual flourless chocolate cakes. The lack of flour makes the cakes very moist—and causes them to sink a bit in the middle.

The crisp edge and pillow-soft, chewy middle of these cookies will be the first things that strike you when you bite into them. But it's the faintly peppery traces of ginger that will make you crave more.

Long-grain rice won't do the trick here; short- and medium-grain have the perfect texture for the clay-pot chicken, not quite absorbing the sauce but supporting it in a delicious way.

We love this cool vehicle for fennel seed on its own, and we venture it would also boost any other fruit-based dessert as beautifully as it does the pear crisps.

Few Asian meals are complete without pickles, which function variously as appetizers, condiments, salads, palate cleansers, and relishes. Here, Chang breaks down the process so you do the work once but get four very different quick pickles out of it.

Smith slyly doctors the sweet-tart Italian condiment to gain an unmistakable berry flavor with a little tangy crunch.

This is a wonderfully easy cake with flavors for which Piemonte is known. The best hazelnuts in Piemonte are called tonda gentile delle Langhe—the “gentle round one of the Langhe”—and with a bit of chocolate, you have the match made famous in Torino, gianduja. I love this torte for its versatility as well. I serve it simply with powdered sugar or whipped cream, or you can flank it with a scoop of chocolate ice cream or give it a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce. In Piemonte, I’ve had the torte with zabaglione—and if you turn to page 156, you’ll find a perfect partner in Zabaglione al Caffe` Nero.

This recipe was created by chef Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. It's part of a special menu he created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. Start this recipe a day before you plan to serve it. Both the pear jam and the panna cotta are best if chilled overnight.

A classic crowning touch for Italian-style braised veal shanks, this sprinkle of citrus and herbs adds freshness to long-cooked short ribs, too.

Look for bresaola (air-cured, thinly sliced beef) in the refrigerated section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets. WHAT TO DRINK: A fruity, sassy, off-dry white wine like Lindemans 2005 "Bin 75" Riesling, Australia ($8).

Look for a dark honey, such as forest honey, which is available at specialty foods stores and from kalustyans.com. WHAT TO DRINK: Try the 2004 Château Grillon, a delicious Sauternes that won't break the bank (France, $19 for 375 ml).