Liqueur

Begin preparing this delicious dessert at least one day ahead.

Nougat is an egg white, honey and nut confection traditional in the city of Montélimar, in the Rhône Valley. It is one of the 13 sweets offered to churchgoers on Christmas Eve. Start making this impressive dessert at least one day before you plan to serve it, although it can be prepared up to one week ahead.

Be sure to make this dessert at least one day ahead to allow the flavors to blend.

Susanna Foo, who was born in Mongolia, learned to cook classic Chinese cuisine from relatives. After arriving in the United States, she took a course in French cooking at the Culinary Institute of America. So when she and her husband, E-Hsin Foo, opened Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine in 1987, her menu naturally featured Chinese dishes interpreted with French techniques. Foo emphasizes fresh, locally available ingredients and delicious sauces, and the results of her approach have brought a slew of local and national awards.

Carole McCallum, Sammamish, Wash.
"Instead of Kahlúa, try Grand Marnier, crème de cacao, or another liqueur. For a festive touch, add green or red sprinkles."

These thin pancakes resemble crêpes more than the thick apple pancakes served at '21' back in the thirties and forties. They are definitely more delicate than the traditional version, but the flavors of apples and walnuts still hark back to their heftier ancestors. Most of the components of this recipe may be made ahead of time and the dessert assembled just prior to serving.

The inclusion of fennel and a dash of Pernod puts a sophisticated spin on the classic chilled potato soup. Offer your guests iced tea with the meal.

A show-stopper centerpiece cake for February fourteenth. White chocolate provides a rich, buttery texture. To serve, remove the chocolate lid and break it into pieces to nibble along with the cake.

Gianduia, the classic Italian combination of hazelnuts and chocolate, is never more appropriate than in fall, when the hazelnuts are harvested throughout Piedmont. Here the mixture is showcased in a soft, simple pudding, spiked with hazelnut liqueur and sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts.

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

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Dried mixed salad herbs, found in the spice section of the supermarket, can substitute for herbes de Provence, the French seasoning.

Ella Brennan, who has been called the "queen of Creole cuisine," tasted her first bread pudding long ago. "It was my mother's," she says. "You never had anything like it." These days, people say the same thing about the bread pudding at Brennan's famous Commander's Palace restaurant in New Orleans. "Our bread pudding soufflé outsells all of our other desserts by ten to one, maybe a hundred to one," she says. "We see people swoon over it." Here's a new take on this hall-of-fame comfort dessert: a pumpkin bread pudding that is served cold, except for the sugar sprinkled on top and browned under the broiler just before the sensational dessert goes to the table.

Offer butter cookies alongside this pretty pink dessert.

A beautiful dessert for the December entertaining season.

Offer this main course with plenty of crusty bread to soak up the delicious saffron broth. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc is good here, too.

Tuaca, a sweet, citrus- and vanilla-flavored Italian liqueur, enhances this sophisticated dessert. Tuaca is available in many liquor stores. But if you can't find it, use Grand Marnier or any other orange liqueur.