Make Ahead

These are made with an Italian sourdough starter known as a biga, which has to be prepared one day ahead. Note that before baking the breadsticks, you can give them amusing shapes by forming one end of each dough rope into a squiggle, a loop, or whatever strikes your fancy.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This is a great way to use the liver from your Thanksgiving turkey. In this recipe simply substitute the turkey liver for some of the chicken livers.

Corn kernels and chili powder lend a southwestern accent to these muffins. They would also be nice alongside a bowl of chili.

Delicious on crackers or as a filling for small tea sandwiches.

To bake these puffs all at once, you will need 6 mini-muffin pans, each containing twelve 1 3/4- by 1-inch cups. However, you could also make them in batches using fewer pans.

Our food editors think beans cook more evenly and hold their shape better with a long soak — which is why the ones in this recipe are soaked for 6 hours. But, you can use the following quick-soak method if you prefer: In a saucepan cover beans with cold water by 2 inches. Bring water to a boil and boil beans 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and soak beans 1 hour.

This dish was inspired by pain au chocolat, a chocolate-stuffed croissant that is adored by both children and adults in France. Cranberries have been added-perfect for a Christmas brunch.

In the early part of the decade, an appreciation of Asian flavors, a desire for spa-style cuisine, and the popularity of sushi dovetailed with the creation of this appetizer, usually prepared with raw salmon or tuna. The dish is now found on restaurant menus nationwide. This version, which calls for smoked salmon, features a wonderful combination of Pacific Rim flavors.