Walnut

The fennel seeds add a nice dimension to these tender scones.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Cabrales Cheese Soufflés.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Components of this salad can be prepared one day ahead, then tossed together at the last minute. Offer white wine spritzers and iced tea with lunch. Colorful ornamental kale can be found at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores.

In this recipe, applesauce is used instead of butter to cut back on the fat.

Because the torte is so rich, a small piece really satisfies. Start preparing this the day before you plan to serve it.

Named for the famous resort island in the Bay of Naples, this chocolate nut cake is one of Italy's few chocolate desserts. It's a specialty of all the fancy pastry shops in Chiaia, the district of Naples closest to the dock where the ferries leave for Capri. The cake is often decorated with a stencil of the island and of a solitary palm tree.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Haman's pockets, or Hamantaschen, were brought to this country by Jews from the eastern part of Germany and Eastern Europe. Hamantaschen are so popular here that at many academic institutions there is an annual Hamantaschen versus latke debate. The filling for the following Hamantaschen recipe comes from the Taste of History: Recipes Old and New put out by Philadelphia's Historic Spanish and Portuguese Congregation, Kahal Kadosh Midveh Israel, founded in 1740. With the filling I used my own butter cookie dough, which everyone in my family loves. Although adults like fruit or poppy-seed fillings, my children do not, and they fill the dough with chocolate chips and even make a Hamantaschen with chocolate chips and peanut butter. I'll stick to this prune filling and leave the chocolate-chip Hamantaschen to them. Regional Variation: A similar and equally delicious Hamantaschen filling comes from Natchez, Mississippi. Naturally, it includes pecans rather than walnuts.

This homey, comforting cereal is like warm granola, especially with the crunchy honey-toasted walnut topping.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Jennifer Martin of Portland, Oregon, writes: "I am not formally trained in cooking but grew up working in food service, from chopping vegetables at food festivals to catering parties for a little extra income. Today I own Epicure Custom Cooking, a gourmet takeout shop and catering company with a few tables for dining. Our specials change weekly and are geared toward what I like to cook and eat. I simply love the business, even with my 12-hour days." Use bananas with some black spots on the skin, a sign that they are really ripe.