Fall

This free-form Italian tart has a tender and buttery crust; in the filling, Asian seasonings enhance the apples and pear, classic French dessert ingredients.

Western ingredients are particularly well suited to the Thanksgiving feast, as evidenced by this robust, satisfying gravy. It comes from Montana-based Greg Patent, the author of New Cooking from the Old West (Ten Speed Press, 1996), and it has an appealing home-on-the-range quality, thanks to plenty of fresh sage and the smoky taste of bacon. It's rich, delicious and perfect for smothering turkey and potatoes. Follow these directions to make a foolproof gravy no matter what recipe you use for roasting the turkey. Since the broth and giblets can be prepared one day ahead, the last-minute steps are kept to a minimum.

Serve these with a couple of tall, cold beers.

This recipe was created for my ten-year-old friend and cooking student, Evan Chender, who used it for his Thanksgiving feast one year. Fresh ginger really spices up the sweet, meltingly tender yams.

Looks pretty and tastes great. If you can find fresh raspberries at this time of year, layer them with the other fruits.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Pappardelle Bolognese .

Porrusalda, or leek soup in Basque, is a very traditional dish. It includes pumpkins, an interesting component in a soup composed of both Old World (carrots, leeks) and New World (potatoes, pumpkin) ingredients.

This recipe was created to accompany <a></a>Turkey with Sherry Wine Vinegar Gravy .

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Melanie Riggs of Jackson, Mississippi, writes: "Last winter, I visited some friends in Minnesota. We had a fabulous meal at Redstone American Grill in Minnetonka, where I ordered an amazing steak with a blue- cheese-flavored crust." The Japanese-style breadcrumbs known as panko give the steaks a light, crispy crust.