Brandy

A simply spectacular main-course. Ask the butcher to grind any pork trimmings to use in the stuffing. Either hard cider or Pinot Noir would be delicious alongside.

This duck recipe is unusually light and delicate.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Pistachio Blancmanges . Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr

An easy and innovative first-course salad.

In most of France, turkey with chestnuts has become a standard Christmas dish, but in the southwest, goose is preferred.

Lobster and truffle oil give this dish the true stamp of indulgence.

For more information about making petits fours, see <epi:recipelink id="">Perfect Petits Fours</epi:recipelink>.

A classic flavor combination-chocolate and cherries-turns everyday vanilla ice cream into a special dessert. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

This classically simple milliard is similar to a clafouti - both desserts are a cross between a cake and a custard and are about as thick as a thin cake layer.

A milk pudding that dates back to the Middle Ages, syllabub was first prepared by milking the cow straight into a bowl containing "Sille," a wine that used to be made in Silléry, in France's Champagne region. "Bub" was medieval slang for a bubbly drink. There are a number of syllabub recipes in eighteenth-and nineteenth-century Irish cookbooks. This modern version calls for a sweet dessert wine and whipping cream.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.