Make Ahead

Festive pipe cookies spread with minted white chocolate and coated with dark chocolate. Great for after dinner.

This recipe yields 2 regular-size loaves or 5 mini-loaves. When we tested the smaller loaves (which innkeeper Debby Hayden prefers), we used disposable 6- x 3- x 2-inch loaf pans—sometimes called baby loaf pans—and baked the bread for about 45 minutes instead of 1 hour.

Crème de Courgettes à l'anis Serve this soup either hot or cold.

Use leftover poached or baked salmon. Canned red salmon that has been drained, skinned and boned also does the trick.

Brown sugar, almonds and oats combine for a crunchy topping in this lovely dessert. A touch of kirsch, a clear cherry brandy, enhances the fruit.

There is a historical reason why most Hanukkah menus offer foods that have been fried in oil. In the second century B.C., a one-day supply of oil inexplicably burned for eight days and eight nights after Judah Maccabee and his followers recaptured Jerusalem's Holy Temple from their Syrian oppressors. Hanukkah is the celebration of that miracle, and fried foods are served to commemorate the oil. In this country, the Eastern European potato latke is usually featured. These fritters are a Sephardic contribution to that tradition.

The candy gets its name from the popular German cake flavored with chocolate and cherries. Place the fudge in paper candy cups, and present it in pretty boxes tied with silk ribbon and holly sprigs.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This peperonata would also be delicious tossed with pasta and the small balls of mozzarella called bocconcini—and as a condiment on sandwiches.

(Cake aux Olives) This version of cake originated in Provence, where olives, basil, and garlic create a harmonious triumvirate. Here they combine with roasted red bell peppers and Parmesan cheese to create a bread that is gutsy, aromatic, and lovely to look at. Serve this as an appetizer, in tandem with fresh goat’s- or cow’s- milk cheese, or even lightly toasted with a poached egg on top.

Sinfully rich chocolate mousse was introduced to Americans by Julia Child on television during the sixties. The combination here of fresh berries, white chocolate cream and dark chocolate mousse has timeless appeal.

The large amount of chocolate glaze called for in this recipe makes the dipping process easier. (The leftover glaze is an excellent sauce for ice cream.)