Pumpkin

An elegant finale to the meal; the cake has a light texture, and the filling provides great pumpkin flavor with a hint of orange. Pour a late-harvest Sémillon with dessert.

This rich, silky soup has a touch of spice.

Buttery, slightly sweet pumpkin is the perfect mate for the briny flavor of oysters, scallops, or other crustaceans. This soup is made with shrimp, whose shells are turned into an aromatic stock that serves as the soup's liquid. Classic shellfish bisques are thickened with rice, but here pumpkin provides body for the soup. Sage's earthy flavor complements both pumpkin and shrimp and steers the focus of flavor from sweet to savory. This is a satisfying soup to prepare throughout the fall. If you serve it as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner, you might start a tradition in your family.

A smooth filling enhanced with orange distinguishes this version of a holiday classic.

In order to create a realistic top for our "pumpkin," we used a church key can opener to make the indentations, but a vegetable peeler or knife would also work.

For years, pumpkins were planted in central-state cornfields to help the corn's roots cool in the summer. This pretty roll cake is an impressive alternative to classic pumpkin pie.

California is among the four leading honey producers in the country. And Texas produces some of the finest pecans. This pie has a touch of honey in the filling, in the topping and in the crunchy coating for the pecan garnish. An extra batch of the honeyed pecans is a great snack or holiday hostess gift.

Ella Brennan, who has been called the "queen of Creole cuisine," tasted her first bread pudding long ago. "It was my mother's," she says. "You never had anything like it." These days, people say the same thing about the bread pudding at Brennan's famous Commander's Palace restaurant in New Orleans. "Our bread pudding soufflé outsells all of our other desserts by ten to one, maybe a hundred to one," she says. "We see people swoon over it." Here's a new take on this hall-of-fame comfort dessert: a pumpkin bread pudding that is served cold, except for the sugar sprinkled on top and browned under the broiler just before the sensational dessert goes to the table.

With its crisp sugary topping, this creamy dessert combines the best of two worlds: pumpkin pie and crème brûlée.

We asked pastry chef Michael Laiskonis if we could compare two versions of the custard in his tart: one made with fresh pumpkin, the other made with canned, which he likes for its reliable consistency. When we tested the two tarts, we were surprised to find that we also preferred the custard made with canned pumpkin — but the choice is yours.

These cake-like treats are moist and spicy-and great with milk.

Swirl a little cream decoratively into each bowl of soup for an elegant presentation.

Creamy mascarpone cheese and pureed roasted pumpkin are blended with just a delicious touch of cinnamon to make an interesting sauce for the fettuccine starter. Uncork a Dolcetto.

Walnuts add crunch to these breakfast treats served at the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid.