Electric Mixer

Traditionally, these Greek cookies, known as koulourakia, are formed into rings, twists and half circles. In this recipe, they are shaped into bow ties and twists, then glazed with anise-flavored honey. These are delicately sweet and nice with coffee.

This recipe was created to prepare Herb and Bacon Corn Bread Stuffing and Sausage, Cranberry and Corn Bread Stuffing .

This dense orange cake, drizzled with orange glaze, is always a favorite at the annual P-Patch harvest banquet.

The upside-down cake—so popular in the fifties and sixties—has been making a come-back lately. This version has a banana, walnut and maple topping, and tender cake.

Two layers of tender orange sponge cake are embellished with a rich orange and honey chocolate glaze. Any leftover chocolate glaze can be chilled, rolled into small rounds and kept refrigerated to serve as truffles with coffee or tea.

Dried cherries and apricots highlight this impressive version of a southern classic.

The lull between the main course and dessert is the best time to top the sweet potato pie with meringue and brown it. Cooks tempted to do this several hours ahead should be aware that the meringue will most likely weep.

The base for these soufflés is made with Switzerland's Toblerone chocolate, which contains honey-almond nougat. These desserts can be assembled three days ahead and frozen; just bake before serving.

Tender chocolate shortbread topped with a rich chocolate ganache just might be the perfect gift for the chocoholics on your list. For an elegant accent, decorate the shortbread with gold leaf, place the cookies on a tray or round platter lined with gold-colored tissue paper, and wrap it all up with cellophane and gold ribbon.

Many southerners object to the practice of adding sugar to corn bread, but associate food editor Alexis Touchet, who grew up in Louisiana, is all for it. Sugar, in fact, is listed as an optional ingredient in the recipe for "pain de maïs nonpareil" in The Picayune's Creole Cook Book, first published in 1901. It's important here that your cast-iron skillet is well seasoned and thoroughly preheated—you want the batter to sizzle when you pour it in.