Beverages

This updated version of France's Christmas classic features orange mousse in a chocolate sponge cake roll and a decadent garnish of chocolate truffles. Kumquats and festive greenery add even more glamour.

Much richer than the average cookie, these treats start with a brownie crust, which gets filled with a luxurious mocha cheesecake mixture. The whole thing is finished off with a sour cream topping and then cut into bars. Be sure to bake the crust and filling a day before serving the bars.

The quinces in this stew are not combined with sugar and therefore will not change color. They require only 45 minutes of cooking time to become tender. This flavorful dish is even better when made a day ahead.

This is the chocolate lover's dream dessert: rich, creamy and intensely flavored.

Corsica's finest dishes feature fresh seafood. Here's an uncomplicated and delicious example.

Beer gives a yeasty flavor to this quick bread made without yeast. Slices of the bread are good toasted or sandwiched around a filling of choice.

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

A mixture of cottage cheese, lowfat yogurt and lemon juice replaces the sour cream in the traditional version of this dish. Ground turkey makes an especially good choice for those watching their cholesterol intake.

This Welsh dish is also called "rabbit." The name rabbit may be traceable to the fact that the Welsh, who live in prime dairy land, were as fond of melted cheese as they were of rabbit. "Rarebit" may have been a later gentrification of the word, or a reference to the texture of this rare (soft) dish. Either way, it is excellent served in bite-size pieces for a party.

"Once a week, I go to the farmers' market in Santa Monica and purchase fresh produce, including a variety of wild mushrooms," say Vilma Rozansky of Los Angeles, California. "I developed this risotto recipe around their earthy flavors. The dish can be a satisfying starter or a meatless entré e." Vilma uses mushroom broth, but we substituted vegetable broth because it's more widely available.

Midweek suggestions are thick-cut fries, sautéed mushrooms and peppermint-stick ice cream. For a touch of glamour, begin with Champagne and caviar, offer roasted potatoes and spinach soufflé with the steak, and have chocolate truffles afterward.

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.