Brandy

If you can't find the Gala variety, use Rome Beauty or Granny Smith apples.

This traditional New Orleans drink was apparently first developed during Prohibition at the famous eatery Antoine's. Customers were able to enjoy alcohol in a Cognac-laced coffee disguised in a pedestal coffee cup especially designed by the chef.

Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 30 min

While the birth of the Brandy Alexander cocktail may be obscured in the history of mixology, the creation of the like-named pie can be traced to right around December 1933, when Prohibition was repealed. Americans could once again enjoy a legal drink. That apparently inspired some creative cooks to flavor recipes once again with wines and liqueurs, and the forerunner of this pie was born. We've replaced the traditional graham cracker crust with one made of chocolate wafer cookies, and we've added white chocolate to the rich brandy and crème de cacao filling.

The Kitchen Conservatory, a popular St. Louis cooking school, knows how the superb beef of the Midwest should be cooked. Suitable accompaniments are baked potatoes, steamed carrots and a green salad. Complete the meal with a pear tart.

(BISCOTTI ALL'ARANCIO E MANDORLE) While all Italian cookies are referred to as biscotti, these are really "biscotti," which means they are baked twice. True biscotti are made in many different flavor combinations in many different parts of the country. These delicate ones come from the region of Lazio, where Rome is located. The secret to the cookies' lightness is not to use too much flour and to freeze the dough before forming it into logs.

Be sure to start the brisket at least a day before you plan on serving it - although it can be made up to three days ahead.

This version of the much maligned Christmas classic is deliciously lacking in candied cherries, giant mixed nuts and citron, but it is filled with bits of marzipan and lots of appealing dried fruit. Baking the cakes in disposable aluminum loaf pans (available at supermarkets) or in decorative cardboard loaf pans (available at some cookware stores or by mail order) makes gift giving easy; just wrap each cake in its pan in cellophane, and add a colorful ribbon.

This is a specialty of Hanukah. Of several fritters that I have tried, this one is the most scrumptious, because the apples are macerated in brandy, which gives them a most wonderful flavor, and the batter is very light.

The port cities of Normandy-Caen among them-offer almost endless choices for fall menu planning. For this satisfying stew, the natural bounty of Normandy's waters, the rich cream of its pasturelands and its distinctive apple-based brandy called Calvados are combined with savory root vegetables from the local harvest. Start out with your favorite pâté and some cornichons, and serve a crusty baguette with the stew. Pour a white Burgundy or hard cider.

"I've always taken a scientific, as well as an artistic, approach to food," writes Mark Van Wye of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "My family dined out a lot when I was young, and I became an adventurous eater. I would try anything and everything, and eventually I'd attempt to re-create those restaurant dishes at home. I never asked for recipes; I liked the detective work and the sense of discovery as I experimented with ingredients, just as a novice painter learns by copying the masters." Look for green peppercorns where capers and pickles are sold in the supermarket. (They're also good in salad dressings.)