Fall

A touch of cardamom lends subtle spice to these innovative crescent-shaped rolls.

Simple, appealing and perfect with the polenta. Pour a Barbera or Pinot Bianco.

This cookie is popular in most of Eastern Europe. It features a tender pastry and, in this rendition, a delicious not-too-sweet cranberry and walnut filling. The cookies are formed by rolling up triangles of the pastry into small crescents.

Nourishing muffins that are nice for a snack or a quick breakfast.

A cardamom- and orange-scented syrup is spooned over warm pears and scoops of vanilla ice cream in this lovely dessert. Refrigerate leftover poaching syrup to serve over ice cream later in the week.

In my family we always inaugurate the Jewish New Year with our first apple dessert of the fall season. The tradition in Andra's home is to begin the year with a round challah and to end it with a cake topped with concentric circles of sliced apples. This dessert is very similar to Jewish apple cake, a Polish dessert that was very popular in church cookbooks throughout Maryland. I believe it is called Jewish because it is an oil-based rather than a butter-based cake. Andra's version is particularly easy, attractive, and delicious.

Begin preparing the turkey a day ahead, as it needs to soak overnight in brine, which makes the roasted bird exceptionally juicy. Watch how to prepare and carve your bird with our streaming video demonstration.

Beautiful, impressive and filled with flavor. Watch how to prepare and carve your bird with our streaming video demonstration.

A spice combination that is inspired by Indian cuisine enhances this sensational soup. Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc as a refreshing partner.

Christmas cookie baking starts Thanksgiving weekend for one food editor. Together with her mother, she makes family favorites like the buttery balls below.

Bacon was a staple meat for the pioneers. (They stored it in bags surrounded by bran for insulation.) As a result, the cured meat has found its way into a variety of heartland dishes. This all-American bird embellished with sage and bacon is a good example. Watch how to prepare and carve your bird with our streaming video demonstration.

At Mirabelle, chef Reuge serves the paillards, in this case thin slices of strip steak, on a bed of red cabbage braised in red wine and garnishes the dish with fresh herbs.

Have the butcher bone the turkey, providing two boned breasts and two boned leg-thigh pieces. Each should weigh about 1 1/2 pounds. Save the bones for turkey stock.

If you can't find fresh porcini mushrooms, buy whole frozen ones, defrost them in the fridge, and drain them on paper towels. Then roast them, uncovered, until tender and golden brown (and for about half the time as the fresh ones). As a last resort, other exotic fresh mushrooms mixed with reconstituted dried porcini would provide the body and flavor the dish needs. (Avoid dried porcini that are broken up.) Pair this dish with a few risotto cakes to make a main course.

"A friend served my homemade pear chutney at her dinner party, and everyone thought it was an unusual and delicious accompaniment for chicken," says Susan Banks of Seattle, Washington.