Christmas

The technique: The perfect mashed potatoes aren't actually mashed. The key is using a potato ricer (which looks like a giant garlic press). This gadget gently breaks the potatoes into tiny, flaky pieces (rather than smashing them into a gluey mass), creating just the right texture.
The payoff: Light, fluffy, perfect potatoes. For horseradish mashed potatoes, replace the butter with five tablespoons olive oil (do not use extra-virgin), and mix in two tablespoons cream-style horseradish before seasoning the potatoes with salt and pepper.

The technique: When it comes to poultry, butterflying means removing the backbone and flattening the bird like a book. This is easy enough to do with a chicken, but we suggest asking your butcher to butterfly the turkey.
The payoff: A flattened turkey cooks more evenly and quickly than a regular bird. Tucking the stuffing under the skin ensures that the meat will be moist and delicious.
Roasted turkey: Prep 1 hour Total 3 hours 30 minutes (includes roasting time)
Grilled turkey: Prep 1 hour Total 3 hours 30 minutes (includes grilling time) If roasting the turkey, serve it with the Fresh Fennel Pan Gravy . Grilling the bird? Try the Mixed-Mushroom and Tarragon Gravy.

In this delicious dessert, tender spice cake is layered with maple-sugar frosting, candied pecans, and a salty-sweet caramel sauce

Shortly after I was given this recipe, I started keeping a list of whom I'd made it for—because I loved it so much, I was sure that if I didn't keep track, I'd end up serving the dish to the same people over and over. The idea for it came from my friend Hélène Samuel's sister, Catherine, whose husband grows pumpkins on his farm just outside Lyon. Catherine sent me a charming outline of the recipe, and as soon as I'd baked my first pumpkin, I realized that an outline is about the best you can do with this dish. It's a hollowed-out pumpkin stuffed with bread, cheese, garlic, and cream, and since pumpkins come in unpredictable sizes, cheeses and breads differ, and baking times depend on how long it takes for the pumpkin to get soft enough to pierce with a knife, being precise is impossible. As Catherine said when she turned this family favorite over to me, "I hope you will put the recipe to good use, knowing that it's destined to evolve . . . and maybe even be improved." Well, I've certainly been putting it to good use, and it has evolved, although I'm not sure that it's been improved, since every time I make it, it's different, but still wonderful. My guess is that you'll have the same feeling once you start playing around with this "outline." See Bonne Idée for some hints on variations. And speaking of playing around, you might consider serving this alongside the Thanksgiving turkey or even instead of it—omit the bacon and you've got a great vegetarian main course.

Cheese balls were all the rage in the 1970s, an easy, tasty, fab party food for any occasion. What's old is now retro-chic—this lightened-up cheese ball seduces with the sweetness of dates, the savory bite of blue cheese, a hint of shallot, and a teasing whiff of lemon zest.

This is a basic not-too-sweet dough that can be used for variously shaped dinner rolls.

This Christmas cake will make your friends gasp: three white cake layers covered with a light snowfall of flaked coconut. This recipe came from my Great-Aunt Molly, who always used fresh coconut milk in her cake. If I'm feeling unusually energetic, I do the same (see Tip). Otherwise, I substitute coconut cream, which is a lot easier to manage. My cousin Vera Mitchell Garlough used to make this cake with her mother and sister. Vera wrote: "Mama used the standard boiled frosting from her Searchlight Cookbook, 1931 printing. The method called for boiling sugar and water until it made a thread when dripped from a spoon, then adding the very hot syrup very slowly to stiffly beaten egg whites, beating all the time. Then, we did not have the luxury of an electric mixer in our home so sister Barbara and I, while young girls, learned to make this frosting as a team. She poured while I beat, then she beat while I poured—using an old wire whisk. Somehow, it became stiff and always turned out right and we never scalded ourselves with the hot syrup. In later years, when she bought a double boiler, Mama used this standard recipe, which I use today."

Here's a cake that showcases the flavors and smells of Christmas. This three-layer extravaganza has a touch of molasses and shredded apple to keep it moist. As the cake bakes, it fills the house with a fragrance that beats the most expensive holiday-scented candle. Many amateur cooks are intimidated by just thinking about making a cake that doesn't come from a box. Yes, it takes extra time, but it isn't hard. Just follow the steps outlined below. I say, if you want to make an impression, bring on a tall, showy homemade cake. Your friends will be talking about it long after the party is over.

I make this for a holiday dinner or when I'm planning to have a large group of friend and family over. The outside of the turkey is encrusted with a baked-on pepper rub. Inside, the meat is juicy and tender.

Unlike their cousin the blueberry—which is sometimes used in savory cooking, although almost never successfully—cranberries are not at all sweet and so make a much more natural companion for meat. One trick I’ve learned over the years is that dusting the meat with a sprinkling of sugar makes the browning process go much more rapidly and leaves behind a caramelized residue that lends a great complexity to the final dish. It’s not an appropriate trick for every occasion, but it’s perfect for this gutsy, appealing, and unusual pot roast. Most pot roasts depend mightily for their flavor on the juices exuded by the meat itself, but since the meat’s contribution here is minimized by the powerful cranberry-based combination, a faster-cooking cut like tenderloin works perfectly, reducing the cooking time to just over an hour.

Leftover dulce de leche is nothing if not versatile: You can spoon it over ice cream, drizzle it over fresh fruit, or serve it with cookies. But if you're still feeling industrious after making our Dulce de Leche Half Moons, use the rest in these truffles. We promise you won't be sorry. The combination of caramelized milk, bittersweet chocolate, and almond butter produces a deeply flavored, not–too–sweet confection. And there's no need to chill the mixture before rolling, as you would if making traditional truffles with chocolate and cream—this user–friendly "ganache" practically rolls itself. If you make the truffles with peanut butter, the nut flavor will be a bit more pronounced than in the almond–butter version.

Very versatile and not too sweet, this fruit tart is perfect to serve at breakfast or brunch or with wine and cheese after dinner.

These individual desserts feature layers of tender spiced chiffon muffins; a mix of caramelized apples, pears, and cranberries; and a rich custard laced with apple brandy. To show off the pretty layers, assemble the trifles in clear bowls or dessert glasses. Enjoy the extra muffin for breakfast the next day.

The killer combination of coconut, almonds, and milk chocolate makes for a delectable candy bar. One of the most iconic of American candies, the Almond Joy, is famous for its creamy coconut filling topped with almonds and covered in milk chocolate. Its sibling, the Mounds bar, has the same coconut center but no almonds. Although the recipes for these two candies are top secret, it's possible to make wonderfully coconutty chocolate candies in your own home. History: The Almond Joy was invented in 1946 by the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company in Connecticut. The Mounds bar was the original version of the candy, premiering in 1921. Peter Paul used the unusual strategy of creating two very similar candies and advertising them as competing versions, encouraging consumers to pick a favorite. This tactic worked: Almond Joy and Mounds became two of the best-selling candies in the 1920s. Serving Suggestions: Trick-or-treaters will be delighted to find these candies in the Halloween candy bag. Wrap them in foil or place them in candy cups. Candy-Making Notes: You can eliminate the almonds and cover the coconut centers with dark chocolate. Better yet, make both versions and give your guests a pleasant dilemna of which to choose.

Minestra di porri e castagne Piemonte

Guests won't leaf these alone! A yogurt dressing and plenty of produce keep the tangy mouthfuls light.

One cute cocktail contains only 7 grams of sugar—including the candy cane. Sip and stay sleek!