Fruit

This recipe is adapted from Will Goldfarb, the innovative chef behind Room 4 Dessert (www.nyr4d.com), in New York City. Egg whites give this drink the body and Chambord provides a jammy punch that complements the berry undertones in this Chocolate-Cranberry Torte . For expert advice on pairing cocktails with food, click here.

A classic Christmas bread from one of Buenos Aires's most famous bakeries, Las Violetas.

Fresh, sprightly — and so easy to make.

The slight bitterness of the greens is tempered by the sweetness of the beets and the raisins, while the cheese adds a creamy richness.

According to lore, the original mole was served with turkey that had been fattened with hazelnuts. In this variation, which doesn't include chocolate, hazelnuts are featured in the sauce.

This one-skillet meal is an instant classic — and a perfect Hanukkah dish.

Coarsely ground black pepper lends a spicy note to this dense, moist brownie cake studded with dried cherries and chocolate chips. Cherry Preserves are thicker than cherry jam and give the Black Forest Torte more body. Look for cherry preserves in supermarkets.

Lewis Rossman of Half Moon Bay, California, writes: "I'm a chef, and Mediterranean is probably the best way to describe the kind of cooking I do at my restaurant, Cetrella. There's an emphasis on seafood, plus several dishes inspired by places I've visited like Provence and Catalonia. This is one of my favorite recipes from the menu. It also happens to be the thing I make at home all the time." Thinly sliced lemon — peel and all — gives this dish bright flavor. (No need to peel the lemon since roasting softens the rind.)

What to drink: Roberto Santibañez recommends a Petite Sirah (a full-bodied, peppery red wine varietal) from L.A. Cetto in Mexico's Guadelupe Valley. Or try the Guenoc Petite Sirah from California's North Coast.

Dallas chef Kent Rathbun created this fabulous dessert for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

You'll feel positively Continental after your first taste of these tartlets, made with the thoroughly French combination of prunes and Armagnac. The creamy Italian mascarpone filling is just the thing to mellow out the sophisticated flavors.

This pie is an ideal dessert after a heavy meal. Just a bit of additional sugar allows the bright flavor of lemon to shine through.

Guests will go wild for these little pies. They're at once delicate and decadent, the airy puffs of crisp meringue giving way to rich, vanilla-flavored pastry cream and a sprightly mix of fresh fruit.

Don't be nervous about making meatless mincemeat if you've never tried it before—it's a knockout combination of dried fruits and spices that adds wonderfully deep flavor to baked goods. Here, chunks of sweet pear and a handful of tart fruit create a pie that's fantastic with vanilla ice cream.

Muscat-poached Seckel pears are tucked into moist almond cakes for a charming dessert. Besides being cute, these tiny cakes leave guests room for pumpkin pie.

These luscious cranberry-studded cakes enriched with bourbon and pecans break away from traditional pumpkin pie without eliminating all those beloved ingredients that say Thanksgiving.

The recipe for this eastern European favorite varies from Russia to Slovenia, but it is always rich, sweet, and dense. Poppy seeds can easily become rancid, so make sure your poppy-seed filling tastes fresh.