Dried Cherry

A celebration of midwestern cherries.

The components of this recipe-purchased ham or turkey, the relish and dinner rolls- can be combined by your guests to make little sandwiches.

The candy gets its name from the popular German cake flavored with chocolate and cherries. Place the fudge in paper candy cups, and present it in pretty boxes tied with silk ribbon and holly sprigs.

This is equally good served warm or cold. If you prefer it cold, begin preparing the dessert well ahead so that it has time to chill.

Chocolate and cherry — the flavors of Germany's famous Black Forest torte — combine in this moist, fudgy cake. Baked in a metal bowl and covered with whipped cream, it resembles a snowball (boule-de-neige). Begin making this at least one day ahead.

If you can't find the Gala variety, use Rome Beauty or Granny Smith apples.

Freezing the rugelach before baking helps the cookies maintain their shape. For gift giving, layer them between sheets of waxed paper and arrange in tins lined with colorful cellophane or tissue paper.

Here's a real treat for the lunch box. Adding dried cherries and chocolate chips turns classic oatmeal cookies into something new.

It is very easy to overcook pork chops. In this recipe,you can first sauté them until brown and then add a little broth to maintain their moisture. Open a bottle of Gamay Beaujolais to have with dinner.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

If you don't have individual soufflé dishes, this can be prepared in a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish, in which case the crisp will need to bake for about 55 minutes.

Nice with duck, Cornish game hens or the Thanksgiving turkey.

Begin preparing the dessert a day ahead.

These cookies are perfect with a cup of tea.

This simple apple salad got its name from the luxurious Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Invented in 1896 not by a chef but by the maître d'hôtel Oscar Tschirky, the Waldorf salad was an instant success. As often happens, many variations evolved—some with raisins, some with chopped nuts. This one has green apples and red seedless grapes.

This stuffing is based on ingredients prevalent throughout the Midwest. Michigan dried cherries are often used to accent dishes in that state, while prunes, raisins and dried currants are often found in many sweet and savory recipes from Ohio and Indiana. Using only three tablespoons of butter for ten servings makes this dish low in fat, too.

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

These can be cut out the night before, refrigerated unbaked on a baking sheet, and then popped into the oven in the morning. They will be ready in just 20 minutes.