Bon Appétit

Improv: Instead of smoked salmon, try this with a generous dollop of caviar on the eggs, or top them with smoked trout or whitefish.

Fuyu persimmons look like orange tomatoes and have a melon-like texture. Many farmers' markets and supermarkets carry them from October through December.

Crisp, buttery maple cookies get a sparkly sugar-crystal coating.

Peppermint buttercream is sandwiched between homemade chocolate cookies; then the sandwiches are rolled in crushed candy canes.

Pre-peeled baby carrots make this soup super-easy. For a dramatic garnish, place a whole star anise atop each serving.

This spoon bread is as tender as a soufflé but much simpler to make.

Improv: Substitute lemon peel for the orange peel, and cinnamon for the cardamom.

Fresh apple juice and Calvados, a dry apple brandy, make the sauce something special.

Begin the morning with the beautiful, festive (and easy) drinks.

Traditionally, escabeche refers to fish marinated in a spicy sauce. Here, mushrooms stand in for the fish with delicious results.

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." Serve with crusty bread to dip into the tomato-anise sauce.

These popovers are like individual Yorkshire puddings. To make a dozen large popovers, just double the recipe and use two pans.

To dress up a typical watercress salad for the holidays, Santibañez added orange segments, avocados, and a sweet-tangy pomegranate dressing.

A big dose of lime (from lime juice, zest, and oil) really makes these sing.

Fill a glass pitcher or punch bowl with this fun, fruity wine-based aperitif.

The ultimate chocolate cake.