Bon Appétit

Vanilla ice cream is decked out for the holidays with orange liqueur and purchased almond lace cookies. Look for Florentine cookies at bakeries and some supermarkets.

The cake takes its name from the wife of Jack Turner's former headmaster, but the recipe is reportedly an ancient Scottish one. Aluminum foil stands in for the traditional newspaper.

This recipe makes a lot of dough. If you don't need all of it, freeze the extra. For impromptu entertaining, you can slice the still-frozen dough into cookies and pop them in the oven for a quick dessert.

The delicate, refreshing flavor of fresh mint leaves infuses the cream used to make the peppermint filling. You'll need a stand mixer to make the pastry.

For a pretty presentation, dust these cookies lightly with powdered sugar.

A prized Christmas sweet from Tuscany, panforte means "strong bread" — but it's more like an almost-flourless fruitcake.

Called banh mi in Vietnam, these delicious sandwiches are ubiquitous throughout the country and are usually eaten for breakfast. This version uses chicken instead of the traditional pork and pâté.

A dream-come-true holiday dessert: so easy to assemble, yet so very impressive (and delicious, too).

Start the confit at least two weeks ahead. This would also be delicious on its own served with mashed potatoes.

There's a layer of chocolate between the cookie-like crust and the rich filling of this sophisticated spin on the traditional pecan pie.

A perfect ending to any Asian meal.

Make this luscious dessert a day ahead.