Hazelnut

Perfect for celebrations, the elegant torte has a filling of strawberries and chocolate ganache, which is also used as the frosting.

Wrapped in colorful cellophane, these chewy caramels make a great gift for friends with a sweet tooth.

This recipe was created to prepare Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with Frangelico Whipped Cream .

In the 1600s, "flapjack" referred to a thick pancake that was cooked on a skillet and turned by being tossed (flapped). By the 1930s, it had come to mean a biscuit like this, made from rolled oats, syrup and butter--sort of the granola bars of their day. They're the perfect thing to have with a cup of tea or coffee.

Hazelnuts are teamed with strawberries and rhubarb in this rustic tart. Vanilla ice cream is a must for serving.

This dessert is an Italian takeoff on a classic French dish, Poire Belle-Hélène-poached pear with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Here the pear is teamed with a hazelnut-orange_semifreddo_ (a sweet Italian frozen mousse) and a Frangelico chocolate sauce. For smaller appetites, cut the semifreddo into eight portions and the pears in half.

Try jazzing up the shortbread with chopped toasted nuts. We particularly like pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds. Use your favorite fine-quality butter for the best-tasting cookies.

Panforte — a cross between a cake and a candy — is a classic Italian Christmas treat. It's a very dense, rich confection loaded with nuts, dried fruit, and spices (hence its name, which means "strong bread"). This recipe yields much more than you'll need for the party, but it keeps so well that you'll have delicious leftovers long after the holiday season. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 4 hr (includes cooling)

Judy Rodgers is currently working on a cookbook from her Zuni Café in San Francisco. Grilling the mushrooms for this salad (which will appear in the new book) intensifies their flavor. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 35 min

For best results, use Bosc pears: They hold their shape well when baked. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

These crunchy cookies are a new version of classic Mandelbrot, which means almond bread in German. Here, recipe tester Selma Brown Morrow uses hazelnuts instead of the usual almonds. To add an elegant look, she dips the cookies into melted chocolate and seals them in holiday bags.

These crackers are wonderful with figs and a big hunk of Stilton

For this recipe you will need 25 fluted molds, 2 1/2 inches across the top, 1 1/2 inches across the bottom, and 1 inch deep. Molds are available at some cookware shops and by mail order from Bridge Kitchenware, (800) 274-3435 or (212) 838-1901.