Almond

With a crust fashioned after the popular cookie, this tart features a dark and white chocolate mocha filling. It's really more like candy and should be cut into small wedges.

Try these tender butter cookies with some spring or summer fruit for a refreshing finale to any of these entrées.

At the ever-popular Cafe Pasqual's in Santa Fe, chocolate and devilishly hot chile pequín flakes come together in an ice cream not soon forgotten. Our version is rich but almost austere compared to chef Katharine Kagel's original, the recipe for which appears in Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook.

There are a number of variations of this traditional Scandinavian Yuletide drink. Dry red wine, muscatel and sweet vermouth, with aquavit in place of the brandy, may be used. In another version, 2 bottles of dry red wine, preferably Bordeaux, are used with the quantity of aquavit increased to a whole bottle, which is poured over the flaming sugar.

This pesto, from Trapani, in Sicily, is made with almonds and tomato and far less basil than traditional pesto — don't expect it to be green.

(Viscotti di'Mandorla Banana) These viscotti—Sicilian biscotti—come in many flavors; bakeries use food coloring to give customers a visual clue. In this case, yellow equals banana.

This float was inspired by the Italian dessert affogato al caffé, which consists of ice cream that has been "drowned" in hot coffee. We added caramelized sugar to the coffee for extra depth and topped it all off with whipped cream, toasted nuts, and chocolate shavings. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

These adorable sweets are festive, fun — and so easy to make. Just be sure to freeze the scoops of ice cream overnight before dipping and coating them.

Carrot Torte This cake is from the Veneto region in northern Italy. Use the sweetest, most flavorful organic carrots you can find—otherwise it will be a big "so what."

This is not a traditional chili and has no connection with any Mexican or Texas recipe. It was devised simply as an experiment and turned out to be delicious.

Blancmange is a jelled molded pudding (similar to a bavarian) that is made with almonds and milk and is served cold, often with a fruit sauce. Originally, the dessert was thickened with powdered almonds; today gelatin is used in their place. This dessert is said to hail from the Languedoc region of France.

Roasted baby potatoes and steamed asparagus with blue-cheese dressing make appealing sides. Layer sugared sliced strawberries and whipped cream in goblets for dessert.

Marisol likes to serve the Candied Butternut Squash atop the couscous.

"My grandmother, who emigrated from Sweden to the United States when she was a little girl, passed on to our family a taste for cardamom," writes Lisa Tracy of Marion, Iowa.

The recipe calls for a pastry bag, but the meringue disks can also be formed with a spatula. If made ahead, the meringue will soften slightly from contact with the buttercream.