Vegan

Kate is an avid home baker, but it took her a while to figure out egg- and dairy-free desserts. The cake and the oatmeal bars are two of her favorite vegan treats.

Editor's note: Use this spice blend to make Chef John Besh's Slow-Cooked Veal Grillades and his Busters and Grits. Using this spice blend is truly the easiest way to consistently achieve the flavors I grew up with. Once made, the spices will last for six months in an airtight container.

This is a mash-up of my French and Japanese influences, with a very American meat-and-pasta sensibility. "Scaloppini" refers, of course, to a thin cut of meat, which here is Gardein, a vegan substitute that's a great transitional food for meat-eaters. Instead of European wine, this sauce calls for sake, and shiitakes are swapped in for traditional button mushrooms. The udon noodle cakes and pea shoots are another Asian touch, but the overall complexity and lushness of the dish give it a French feel.

Rustic and delicious, this healthy meatless stew is a hearty main course.

This nutty, satisfying puree— enriched with chicken fat for tradition's sake or pareve margarine—makes a nice bed for the roast duck.

Look for carrots and parsnips that are about two inches in diameter at their thickest point; you don't want them to be too big or too slender.

Paper-thin slices of fennel, juicy grapefruit segments, and fresh parsley and mint make a beautiful winter salad. Using a V-slicer to cut the fennel helps the easy side dish come together even more quickly.

This is a Greek version of hummus that captures the soul of the Mediterranean. For this recipe, be sure to use premium-quality imported sun-dried tomatoes; they should be plump and soft with red hue.

Editor's note: Use this Chickpea Confit to make Chef Michael Psilakis's Chickpea Spread .

Editor's note: Serve this salad with Marcus Samuelsson's Maple-Glazed Tuna .

Editor's note: Serve this sauce with Lourdes Castro's Chicken Tamales
A staple on Mexican tables, do not confuse Mexican crema for sour cream. The flavor is more sour, and it's a bit saltier as well. In addition to providing flavor and texture to a dish, the cream also serves as a neutralizer for the heat of chiles. It is a good option to have around for those who don't like hot foods.

Look for Asian noodles in natural foods stores as well as in the Asian foods section of well-stocked supermarkets.

Lightly caramelized slices of roasted squash make a tasty and pretty salad, dressed up with toasted almonds, crumbled cheese, and glistening swirls of Reduced Balsamic Vinegar (recipe follows), one of my favorite condiments. Serve this as an antipasto, a first course, or a side dish. With roast meat or poultry, it can be a main course salad too. How about a Thanksgiving leftover salad of roast squash and my roast turkey (page 332) with balsamic reduction and Quince Chutney (page 368)? Any sweet-fleshed winter squash is suitable, but I find the scalloped edges of acorn squash slices look especially nice.

Food editor Andrea Albin, who developed this menu, says that her mom, Veronica, who lives in Houston, should get all the glory here. Raw celery and toasted almonds lace cooked cranberries with terrific crunch.