Winter

Slow-roasting a duck may take hours, but the result is velvety meat covered by a layer of gloriously crisp and salty skin. The herbed garlic and fennel filling melts into an aromatic confit during cooking.

Ted Allen created this recipe for Epicurious as part of a Thanksgiving menu. For Allen's tips on throwing a Thanksgiving party, click here. You can marinate the turkey in brine, as specified here, or you can skip that step and just rub the pieces with butter, salt, pepper, and herbs. I wouldn't skip it, though — brining is the best thing ever to happen to turkey, producing lovely, moist meat, beautifully seasoned through and through.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Ted Allen's The Food You Want to Eat. For Allen's tips on throwing a Thanksgiving party, click here. A simple, terrific fall or winter side dish.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Ted Allen's The Food You Want to Eat. For Allen's tips on throwing a Thanksgiving party, click here. The intent with this dish was an entrée — an entrée not just appropriate for vegetarians, but for vegans. But in the context of Thanksgiving, it serves either as a wonderful companion to turkey (or as that too-rare dish at the American dinner party: a hearty, bona-fide vegetarian option). You can assemble it ahead and refrigerate. (If you do, bake it at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes instead of the below instructions.)

This recipe is adapted from Audrey Saunders, owner of Pegu Club in New York City. Crown Roast of Lamb with Rosemary requires a companion drink with body, and this cocktail has that in spades. Also, like lamb, its flavor is a bit racy.

This recipe is adapted from Ryan Magarian, the Seattle-based cocktail consultant behind Liquid Kitchen (www.kathycasey.com/liquid_kitchen). This bracingly sweet-tart drink acts like a good Riesling, standing up to the sweetness of Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Melted Blue Cheese . A sprinkle of nutmeg and a dash of cinnamony Angostura Bitters add layers of complexity to the cocktail and go beautifully with the flavors of butternut squash and apple. For expert advice on pairing cocktails with food, click here.

This recipe is adapted from Ryan Magarian, the Seattle-based cocktail consultant behind Liquid Kitchen (www.kathycasey.com/liquid_kitchen). This autumn cocktail, with its palate-enlivening bubbles, is light enough not to overwhelm the delicate meat in Roast Turkey with Bacon and Applejack Gravy . The subtly sweet pear flavor echoes the presence of fall fruit in the gravy. For expert advice on pairing cocktails with food, click here.

Editor's note: The recipe below originally appeared in One Potato, Two Potato by Roy Finamore with Molly Stevens. It was reprinted, along with the introductory text included here, in The 150 Best American Recipes by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens. __ Probably the most frustrating part of preparing Thanksgiving dinner is the last-minute potato mashing and gravy making. If you have this recipe in your arsenal, you can knock off the mashed potatoes 2 days ahead and have them sitting pretty in the refrigerator, ready for a last-minute heating. But that's not the only time you need these potatoes; they're also great for a buffet or for any crowd. These luxurious mashed potatoes have a couple of other virtues, too. They're light and fluffy because they're whipped with an electric mixer, and they're incredibly luscious because they have sour cream and butter, plus cream cheese to give them a little edge. __

This super-easy, no-cook dessert tastes like the ultimate Creamsicle.

White bread is perfect for bread pudding—as long as it's hand-formed and (preferably) unsliced, like the old-fashioned white here.

A favorite from the '70s, pumpkin cheesecake is even more fun as a crumbly, nutty bar.

An update of duck à l'orange, this recipe replaces whole duck with Muscovy duck breasts, and the syrupy orange glaze of yore with a red-wine sauce and tart-sweet candied kumquats.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Marilynn and Sheila Brass's Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, click here. Tarte au Sucre 1920s
We found this recipe handwritten on an index card filed among main dishes and salads. We believe it has ties to our neighbors to the north, with origins in France. Although it's simple and quick, this is a serious pie. We love the caramelized sugar taste of this tar, which is so representative of Canadian sweets.

Until you've tried this dessert, you may not have tasted a pear's multiple personalities.

The addictive topping, a potent mix of pork belly, mushrooms, and Chinese rock sugar, takes some time to cook, but you'll love the result.

Here's a hearty vegetable soup that doesn't take as long to make as the classic but is much better than what you'll find in a can.