Simmer

Serve this lush, smooth soup as part of an Asian or Western meal. Large wedges of pumpkin with a pale gray-green skin are sold in Southeast Asian groceries and in Caribbean produce markets. Pick out the pumpkin with the reddest flesh. You can also use an orange "pie pumpkin."

(Panna Cotta con Salsa di Fragole al Vin Santo) As tiramisù became the Italian restaurant dessert of the 1980s, so did panna cotta take over in the 1990s. The original recipe for "cooked cream" comes from Piedmont, but Tuscans have appropriated it. Their version of the eggless custard is often topped with honey and pine nuts, since the Tuscan city of Pisa is Europe's largest producer of pinoli. This recipe incorporates those ingredients into the custard, then tops it off with a delicious strawberry sauce laced with Vin Santo, the cherished dessert wine of the region. Begin making this one day ahead.

Voli are marbles, the multicolored little balls that were so popular with kids during my childhood. But unlike the glass versions, which were quite expensive, the ones we used to play with were made of clay and colored in various bright, glossy shades. They were fragile, and their glaze would crack, revealing their dark red insides, similar in color to these delicious meatballs with bulgur. This recipe comes from the island of Rhodes, and bulgur is probably the grain originally used. Later, in the stewed meatballs of the mainland, it was replaced by rice.

You can use frozen baby lima beans (with the same delicious result) instead of the fresh favas, which are harder to find.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

A sweet snack, full of chewy dried cherries and apricots, to nibble or wrap as a gift.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(GELEE DE COING) The lemon juice is really only necessary if the quince jelly doesn't "take" within the allotted time.

In this recipe we slowly "double-cook" the quince, which prevents the fruit from crystallizing and heightens the pinkish- orange color it turns when cooked.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Vanilla Custard Sauce)Use the left-over eggs yolks from Rosewater Angel Food Cake to make this dessert sauce. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.