Electric Mixer

First came the grasshopper cocktail, a sweet digestif the essential ingredients of which are green (thus the grasshopper) crème de menthe, white crème de cacao, and cream; then, in the sixties, came the eponymous pie, which always has a crust of either cookie or graham cracker crumbs and is served chilled.

(LES SCOURTINS AUX OLIVES DE NYONS) Jean-Pierre Autrand of Les Vieux Moulins in Nyons, Provence, shared the family recipe for these crisp, salty-sweet cookies.

If you want crisp cookies, serve these on the same day they're made; they soften even when stored in an airtight container.

The creamy tequila-orange filling contrasts perfectly with the tart cranberry topping.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serina Kaker "When a good friend went out of town, I volunteered to water the plants in her apartment, and my reward was helping myself to the Christmas cookies, all nicely stored in a tin," says Jane A. Van Pelt of Alexandria, Virginia. "Well, they were delicious and had completely disappeared by the time my friend returned. She told me that the recipe had come to her through her Norwegian roots and was a favorite in her family. Now these cookies are a holiday favorite in our family, and I hope they will be shared with many others."

To save time, simply skip the topping.

English toffee enhances both the cake and topping of this delicious treat.

Offer butter cookies alongside this pretty pink dessert.

Majorca, Spain When this dessert is made on Majorca, rum-soaked raisins are baked on top. Here the filling is flavored with rum; then the cake is served with a strawberry compote.

Be sure to serve the aromatic sauce with each portion of soufflé. The sauce can be prepared one day before the soufflé is made.

For best results, use a dark baking chocolate with high cocoa butter content (about 30 percent), such as Valrhona or Callebaut.