Walnut

This flourless torte is made with a minimum of ingredients — nothing more than walnuts, eggs, and sugar — then generously coated with coffee-flavored whipped cream.

Brussels sprouts, sliced very thin, result in an unbelievably delicate slaw. If you have a really sharp knife and good skills, you could slice the Brussels sprouts by hand, but it's much easier to use an adjustable-blade slicer. Since walnuts are fresh and in season, Waxman uses just-shelled ones in this salad. Pecorino Romano varies in saltiness; you may want to add a little more than we call for here.

The pears give this pretty pizza fresh flavor and texture.

These rich cookies, a little like freestanding brownies, are the creation of Chris Gargone, the talented pastry chef of Remi, one of New York's most popular Italian restaurants. Before you start, a word of caution: chews are addictive.

These sweet-crisp cookies can be baked days ahead and, because the recipe is so generous, you can send your guests home with some.

Espresso powder makes this creamy fudge taste more intensely chocolaty. Any nuts you prefer (such as pecans or macadamia nuts) can stand in for the walnuts.

Muhammara — a toasted walnut, roasted red pepper, and cumin sauce — can also be spread on pita toasts.

An elegant terrine with pretty layers of walnut praline and homemade white chocolate ice cream. Do-aheads: praline, 3 days; sauce, 1 day; entire terrine, 3 days.

Use a variety of holiday cookie cutters to make these classic French shortbreads.

This delicious bar cookie comes courtesy of the author's mother and is a nice follow-up to the fondue. The shortbread layer is topped with a very moist apricot-walnut cake layer.

Michele Evola of New York, New York, writes: "I thought you might enjoy this family recipe. My aunt Bess puts fresh persimmons in the freezer so she can make these bars anytime." When Hachiya persimmons are very ripe, they're so fragile that they nearly turn to juice. If you want to freeze them as Michelle Evola's aunt Bess does, we suggest first putting them on a baking sheet in the freezer until they harden. Then wrap them in plastic wrap while they're hard and freeze them in a sealed plastic bag.

With no pastry crust to wrangle, these luscious parfaits of pumpkin mousse and cream are easier to make than pumpkin pie. Start making this dessert at least one day before you plan to serve it.

This candy-like tart with hints of rose, orange, and cloves was inspired by the delicate flavor of baklava. Serve it on its own or with honey-sweetened strained plain yogurt.

The tender texture of these cake doughnuts comes from folding in the dry ingredients gently by hand, rather than beating them in with a mixer. Use a clip-on deep-fry thermometer to gauge the oil temperature when frying these doughnuts: too low and they'll absorb oil, turning leaden and soggy; too high and they'll burn before the insides are cooked through.

Toasted crushed coriander seeds add great flavor and fragrance to the dressing. Green Anjou or Comice pears would also work well here, but the red Anjou's rich maroon skin looks beautiful next to the lettuce.