Make Ahead

Cooking chicken as described in the recipe below results in really crisp, almost transparent skin (like that on Peking duck) and moist flesh.

Try the compote on pound cake, too.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. We loved this refreshing condiment teamed with lean beef and with grilled shrimp.

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

Mix some chilled club soda into the leftover wine marinade for a refreshing drink.

There's just a hint of chocolate in these.

This recipe was created to accompany Caramelized Banana Purses with White Chocolate Sauce. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In this recipe, the elderflower concentrate gives the ice cream a delicate, fruity flavor, but 1 teaspoon vanilla stirred into 1/4 cup additional milk makes a delicious substitute.

Thanks to a generous amount of basil, mint and dill, this salad is quite refreshing. It can be taken to a picnic in a covered container that is stored in a cooler.

We particularly like this dessert made with coffee ice cream, but youcan use any flavor that goes well with chocolate and peanuts. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 1/4 hr

This recipe was created to accompany Mocha Mousse with Kumquat Cranberry Sauce and Phyllo Crisps .

Ken Haedrich, cookbook author, says, "Since moving to New England nearly twenty years ago, I've heated the house with wood-burning stoves. And because our big Thanksgiving gatherings put oven space at a premium, I've often pressed those stoves into backup duty. That's how steamed breads—which can be cooked on top of the stoves — came to be a regular part of our feast. This steamed pumpkin bread provides another way to bring good pumpkin flavor to the meal, too. I also serve my special crescent rolls on the big day. One year, my kids let it be known that they wanted croissants on Thanksgiving, but that seemed like a bit more work than I could handle. Instead, I came up with these sesame crescents—croissant-like rolls with savory onion filling. I guess they did the trick, because nobody says much about croissants anymore. Plus, I can make the crescent rolls two weeks ahead and freeze them. That way, they don't take up any of that precious oven space." Note that this bread needs to cook in an empty 28-ounce food can (such as the kind used to hold whole tomatoes).

White chocolate custard tops espresso custard in this luxurious make-ahead dessert. It's pretty garnished with fresh strawberries and coffee beans.

"My parents and I recently celebrated my mom's birthday at a local restaurant called The Farmhouse," writes Karen Eschenbach of Emmaus, Pennsylvania. "We ended a wonderful meal with an even better dessert—chocolate-peanut butter 'beggars' purses.'" Each elegant phyllo "purse" contains a flourless brownie topped with peanut butter and chocolate ganache.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr