Bon Appétit

An elegant terrine with pretty layers of walnut praline and homemade white chocolate ice cream. Do-aheads: praline, 3 days; sauce, 1 day; entire terrine, 3 days.

A giant cookie is topped with coarsely crushed peppermint candies and melted white chocolate, then broken into irregular pieces.

Use a variety of holiday cookie cutters to make these classic French shortbreads.

Chunks of fresh cranberries and dark, milk, and white chocolate chips dress up oatmeal cookies for the holidays.

This delicious bar cookie comes courtesy of the author's mother and is a nice follow-up to the fondue. The shortbread layer is topped with a very moist apricot-walnut cake layer.

The dough needs to chill overnight before rolling out, so plan accordingly.

For best results, use fresh ricotta, which is sold at Italian delis and specialty cheese shops. Avoid packaged brands that include gelatin and preservatives, as these can be watery and have a grainy texture. Prepared cannoli shells are sold at Italian markets.

These soft ginger cookies are dipped in dark chocolate for sophisticated fun.

In this version of the classic Parisian gâteau, layers of soft coconut meringue alternate with a dark chocolate and rum ganache filling. Do-aheads: ganache, 2 days; meringue, 1 day; marjolaine, 1 day.

Lauren Beal of San Rafael, California, writes: "When it comes to making dinner, my husband, Stuart, and I have the perfect system. He's in charge of our backyard garden, and I'm in charge of cooking with what he harvests—things like basil, onions, lemons, and even apples. It's our favorite way to create a meal together."

Jan Schroeder of Corvallis, Oregon, writes: "A great thing about my job is that I get to do a lot of cooking. I work for the berry industry and one of my duties is developing recipes. I often get ideas from local chefs, but it's also rewarding to see what I can come up with on my own." Ribbon-tied jars of this chutney would make a nice holiday gift.