Brandy

The recipe makes about 36 truffles; 12 are used for the tartlets. The extras can be kept frozen for other special occasions. Start this recipe the day before serving the tartlets.

This dense, moist chocolate cake, made with dried pears, is stunning when decorated with gold leaf. Of course, you can always simply top it with chocolate curls.

An easy and innovative first-course salad.

The roulade is particularly stunning when accompanied by a glistening array of the Glacéed Fruits .

Very nice for a fancy dinner party, these little tartlets have an almond crust, tangy lemon filling and strawberries on top.

Here is the perfect present for those who indulge in holiday eggnog — a mixture of spirit and spice to blend into the Christmas beverage. To make the gift complete, pour it into a beautiful bottle and tie a small nutmeg grater and some whole nutmegs around the neck with a festive ribbon.

The French often serve flavored wine as an aperitif. This one has a base of red wine infused with orange, lemon, vanilla and cloves; it is later mixed with raspberry brandy and sugar. The drink is best at cool room temperature, accompanied by nibbles such as olives, almonds and crudités. It also makes an excellent Christmas present—just double or triple the recipe, and pour the drink into pretty bottles. Be sure to begin the "winemaking" process at least three weeks before you plan to have the wine or give it as a gift.

At the restaurant Antico Martini in Venice, Italy, they include the scallop coral-or roe-in the dish and use fresh porcini when in season.

The secret to the light and flaky crust is cream cheese. For an extra-special presentation, cut out decorative shapes from the dough scraps, and arrange them on the pie after glazing it; brush cutouts with glaze and bake.

All the appeal of traditional mincemeat pie—without all of the traditional work.

The following recipe is made with an electric blender, because it is so quick. If you do not have one, gradually blend the egg yolks into the flour with a wooded spoon, beat in the liquids by droplets, then strain through a fine sieve. Crêpe batter should be made at least 2 hours before it is to be used; this allows the flour particles to expand in the liquid and insures a tender, light, thin crêpe. The first crêpe is a trial one to test out the consistency of your batter, the exact amount you need for the pan, and the heat.

Perfect for the Fourth of July. If you like, garnish the sundaes with maraschino cherries, small American flags and edible sugar stars.

This is a specialty of Hanukah. Of several fritters that I have tried, this one is the most scrumptious, because the apples are macerated in brandy, which gives them a most wonderful flavor, and the batter is very light.