Walnut

Pastry chef Gale Gand found this family-favorite recipe in her Hungarian grandmother's recipe file.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party, click here. These fancy flavored nuts require almost no effort. Prepare 'em in advance, store 'em in a well-sealed container, and when the time is right, let your salads, desserts, and cheese plates go nuts with sugar or spice or both. To only "caramelize" the nuts, skip the cayenne and black pepper, which make them "spiced."

A layer cake with a simple, modern look.

A thick, rich glaze makes these decadent.

Make the fritters a day ahead, then fry them quickly before serving. What to drink: A crisp white with citrus and herb flavors would be perfect; try the Jim Barry 2006 "Silly Mid On" Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon blend (Australia, $17).

This will be a hit with fans of blue cheese. It's so rich that small portions would also be great as a starter or side dish.

Don't be nervous about making meatless mincemeat if you've never tried it before—it's a knockout combination of dried fruits and spices that adds wonderfully deep flavor to baked goods. Here, chunks of sweet pear and a handful of tart fruit create a pie that's fantastic with vanilla ice cream.

In Russia and eastern Europe kasha is most often made into thick gruel. Instead, we turned the roasted buckwheat kernels into a fantastic side dish studded with butter-toasted walnuts and browned onion.

Adding the cranberries in three stages, along with crumbled nuts, results in a wonderful conserve with layers of texture and flavor. The turbinado sugar imparts subtle caramel undertones.

This delicious last course is a little sweet and a little savory—like dessert and a cheese plate in one dish. If you can't find fresh figs, buy dried black Mission figs, soak them in warm water until very soft, then drain and pat dry.

Inspired by one of the most popular desserts of the '70s, as immortalized by Wolfgang Puck when he was at Ma Maison.

New York-style cheesecake gets a flavor update with a hint of orange and spice. The sweet-tart sauce balances the rich filling.

You may want to double this recipe—the apple-walnut topping and whipped cream make these cakes disappear fast.

Marshmallowy buttercream tops the crunchy crust and tender interior of this rich cake. Fresh blackberries add a lush fruitiness and tame the sweetness with their slightly tart flavor.

Flavorful pork shoulder, along with fruit—dried and fresh, the perfect fall combination—stuff these chiles en nogada.

Crisp toppings may vary as to how much sugar, butter, oats, nuts, and flour they contain, but one thing's for sure: All have a crumbly topping that crisps up during baking.