Dried Fruit

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Apple cider vinegar makes the crust extra flaky. Offer eggnog ice cream (or vanilla ice cream sprinkled with nutmeg) alongside.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 30 min

The flavor of this chutney improves if made at least one day ahead. Serve with: Indian dishes (such as basmati rice and curries), lamb, duck, pork chops, or sharp cheeses.

Gay Koenemann of Bonn, Germany, had dinner at 300 East Boulevard on a recent trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. There he was treated to the most exquisite salad he'd ever had. Although the restaurant calls it Fall Salad on the menu, it's enjoyable year-round. Dried cranberries would make a good alternative to the dried cherries.

Cardamom pods can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets; 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom can be substituted.

This is a simple, delicious dessert that also makes a warming and special brunch dish or breakfast. Although many baked-apple recipes are on the lean side (my mother always ate them when she was dieting), my version is luxurious yet still homey. I stuff the apples with a mix of brown sugar, dried fruit, and nuts, then bake them in a sauce of apple cider, maple syrup, and plenty of butter, which cooks down to a rich, thick glaze. I like to use Cortlands here because of their good squat shape and their complex fruity flavor, but any firm, tart baking apple will do.

Accompany this colorful dish with rice pilaf and baby peas with pearl onions. The kicker: spice bars and orange slices.

The oatmeal and nut mixture in this dessert is usually baked on fruit; here, it is cooked on its own, then layered with currants and a pudding made with Baileys Original Irish Cream.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

Dja'jeh Burd'aan b'Teen Dja'jeh Burd'aan b'Teen is particularly liked by children because of the sweet, familiar flavor of orange juice. Serve over white rice. The dish tastes even better reheated the next day, once the chicken has marinated in the juice and spices.

BORDEAUX The juniper berries are an earthy contrast to the sweet prunes — a prized regional product — in this dish. Serve roasted sliced potatoes and sautéed mushrooms alongside. What to drink: Red Bordeaux or a varietal blend of Cabernet and Merlot.

Linda Forst of Mukilteo, Washington, writes: "I attended a conference in Anaheim, California, and went to dinner at Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar in Downtown Disney. The whole meal was outstanding, especially the 'compressed salad.'" For a "compressed" presentation, the chef uses a three-inch ring mold to mound the salad in the center of each plate. You can use a cleaned-out can, with top and bottom removed, as a mold.

Even the ranch dressing gets a Cajun kick in this lively main-course salad.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 5 hr If you decide to use fresh pumpkin purée for this cake, be sure you drain it for the full eight hours we recommend in the procedure.

Caramelized pears plus dried apricots, cranberries, and prunes add intense fruit flavor to this stuffing from Rochelle Palermo Torres, a freelance recipe developer and cooking teacher.

Serve this curry with condiments such as dried currants, sliced green onions, shredded coconut and toasted slivered almonds.

"I have never been a bread-pudding fan," writes Marie Hernandez of Chicago. "But after trying the pumpkin bread pudding at Wildfire restaurant in Oak Brook, Illinois, I think I've changed my mind. Had I know that this dessert could be so good, I would have started eating it long ago." Do as the restaurant does, and serve this with sweetened whipped cream.