Orange

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

There's no easier dessert than fresh fruit. But for something a little more spirited, we topped it with some store-bought lemon curd lightened with yogurt and flavored with crème de cassis. This simple dessert is a snap to prepare.

A blend of spices and orange turns ordinary sautéed carrots into an exotic side dish.

At Brigtsen's in New Orleans, chef Frank Brigtsen makes a version of this dish with duck, accompanied by corn bread and pickled onions. Offer those sides as well as some green beans, then finish with pecan pie. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These not-too-sweet cookies are based on an old recipe seldom seen these days. Although the combination of almonds, honey and cinnamon is still a typical one, contemporary Neapolitan biscotti tend to be less aggressively flavored.

This moist Christmas cake takes its cues from the flavors and spices found in the classic Lebkuchen cookie. It's brushed with an orange-scented honey syrup, frosted with a creamy white chocolate icing and then surrounded by sliced almonds.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional sitting time.

Alice Waters, who opened Chez Panisse in 1971, took salads to new heights with unusual, farm-fresh greens; she also popularized the use of goat cheese, which was being made by Laura Chenel not far from the Berkeley restaurant. Those ingredients come together in this delicious salad.

A light-textured baked apricot meringue.

Also known as a Champagne Cocktail.

This recipe differs slightly from classic mojo in that it uses red onion instead of garlic. It's best to make this mojo a bit ahead of time so that the color of the red onion "bleeds" into the sour orange. The traditional accompaniment is grilled pork, but it's also wonderful with well-roasted chicken — charring its skin brings out the full flavors of the mojo.

These apples are a perfect garnish for the spiced apple cake and caramelized apple crêpes. They're terrific as a topping for ice cream, too. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

Croustades are toasted shapes or shells of bread or baked pastry crusts used as bases for serving various mixtures, either sweet or savory. Here they're made with slices of toasted pound cake and topped with wine-poached pears and ice cream. It's a dessert that's easy to make and a perfect conclusion to a county-style, French-inspired menu.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This recipe originally accompanied Citrus Chiffon Cake .