Snack

If fresh peas are out of season, look for high-quality frozen brands such as Cascadian Farm.

Rich and crunchy, these almonds are prepared like Spain’s Marcona variety: cooked in oil and generously salted.

I will never forget when I started my catering company and offered sweet and spicy peanuts as one of the gift items. I had to toss peanuts for days, but they were delicious! Although I don't suggest that you mix quite as many as I did in the early years of my career, I do suggest you toss a few of these delights for the occasion.

Just right for breakfast on the go, these muffins are subtly spiced, fluffy, and speckled with plenty of golden raisins.

It's an amazing phenomenon: Even after we push back from the table, feeling sated after the Thanksgiving feast, we want to linger and enjoy one last nibble. This time or year, chestnuts are clementines are an excellent pair for a final bite. And all that peeling makes this extra indulgence seem worthwhile—at least you're working for it.

The combination of condensed milk and lime gives this dessert a bit of tropical flair.

Luke Meinzen likened cooking these classic half-moon-shaped pies to "herding miniature manatees in a hot-oil sauna." We traded lamb for the mutton and scallions for the wild leeks in these hearty little pastries that have been eaten by Mongolian nomads for centuries.

This easy, indulgent appetizer comes from cookbook author Daisy Martinez. The fritter batter can be made one day ahead.

If plums aren't available, pears are an easy alternative. And with calories this low, go ahead—indulge in seconds!

Next to brown sugar pie, this is my favorite chess pie. There are several theories as to how these pies came by their name. Some say that "chess" is a corruption of “chest,” meaning that these pies were so rich they could be stored in chests at room temperature. Others offer a different explanation: It seems that long ago when a good plantation cook was asked what she was making, she replied, "Jes pie," which over time became "chess." Still others insist that "chess" derives from “cheese,” as in the English lemon "cheese" (or curd). According to food historian Karen Hess, "cheese" was spelled "chese" in seventeenth-century England. In her historical notes and commentaries for the 1984 facsimile edition of Mary Randolph’s Virginia House-wife (1824), Hess writes: "Since the archaic spellings of cheese often had but one 'e' we have the answer to the riddle of the name of that southern favorite ‘Chess Pie.' " When I lived in New York, I baked dozens of lemon chess pies for the annual Gramercy Park fund-raiser and they sold as fast as I could unpack them. From that experience, I learned to buzz up the filling in the food processor. I even grate the lemon zest by processor. Here’s how: Strip the zest from the lemons with a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, then churn it with the sugar to just the right texture. I next pulse in the lemon juice, then the eggs one by one. Finally, I drizzle the melted butter down the feed tube with the motor running. That’s all there is to it.

A pretty centerpiece dessert that's a cross between a trifle and tiramisù. To give the flavors time to meld, you’ll need to put the trifle together at least one day ahead, but it tastes best when made two days ahead. Any leftover praline would be terrific sprinkled over ice cream.

A triple layer of crumbly crust, a truffle-like interior, and an almost patent-leather-shiny glaze make this tart the chicest take on chocolate we've come across in a long time.

Though poaching pears in wine often results in a subtle, sophisticated dessert, it rarely looks as lovely as it tastes. Here, Grimes took inspiration from the saturated-red glassware that's ubiquitous in Parisian flea markets and from a dessert at Le Chateaubriand, which uses beet to give the pears a lush garnet hue. As far as its flavor goes, the beet doesn't lend anything more than a nice balance to the overall dish, but you'll probably want to poach pears this way from now on.

In this fun take on pumpkin pie, a little whisky really puts the "Scotch" in butterscotch.

Cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and cloves give this crème brûlée a spicy kick.

This dish has an ideal combination of flavors and textures: soft and crunchy; sweet and nutty.

Purchased vanilla ice cream, pumpkin, and four different spices make up the delicious pie filling.

Forget marshmallows with the yams this year. Instead, use them to make the topping for this cheesecake. Because the cheesecake needs to chill overnight, be sure to begin one day ahead.

These cookies should set for a while before serving. The fillings help soften the meringue—and your patience will be rewarded with a wonderfully chewy texture.