Walnut

The Pennsylvania Dutch settled in the places where they found the most black walnut trees. Toasted walnuts add crunch and flavor to this terrific salad.

Filled with a mixture of nuts, brown sugar, honey and grated orange peel, this tart will dress up any holiday table. Serve it with whipped cream and, if desired, the Orange-Cranberry Compote

These delicious chocolate chip cookies are worth the calorie splurge.

One recipe, two different looks: Half of the cookies are rolled in granulated sugar mixed with cardamom; the rest are sprinkled with a powdered sugar-cardamom mixture.

This dish is inspired by the marriage of ricotta and walnuts that makes Ligurian pansotti (triangular "pot-bellied" ravioli) with walnut sauce a timeless favorite. Serve the artichokes as a plated first course or quarter them and offer as part of an antipasto platter along with prosciutto, roasted red peppers, and marinated olives and mushrooms.

A classic combination of tender shortcrust pastry and soft, candy-like caramel filling.

"Every Christmas, my grandmother's best friend, Mrs. Mack, would give me and each of my brothers just one of these cookies, large and exquisitely decorated," writes Wendy Phillips Kahn of New York, New York. "I would save mine for days and then nibble carefully to make it last. Today, it seems a little decadent to make a whole batch, yet my daughter and I love the excuse to use our extensive collection of cookie cutters, and then enjoy painting our reindeer, Christmas trees, bells, birds, and snowmen, complete with jaunty ribbons around their hats. They may not be as elegant as Mrs. Mack's, but they're a colorful highlight in gift boxes of treats." Note: One of our readers alerted us to a problem with the cover recipe for cinnamon cookies in our December 2000 issue. We forgot the eggs! In order to make the cookies properly, add 2 lightly beaten eggs after beating together the butter and sugar, mix until blended, then follow the rest of the recipe. We apologize to Mrs. Mack, Wendy Phillips Kahn, and all of our readers for this oversight. These cookies are truly delicious, and we hope that you enjoy them.

Makedonitiki Melitzanosalata Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Diane Kochilas's book The Greek Vegetarian. Kochilas also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Kochilas and Greek cuisine, click here.

This feather-light, sweet-tart bread is as good as it sounds.

You can use the more traditional orange flower water or rose water instead of the orange peel and juice concentrate to flavor these crispy cookies.

Also good made with melon or oranges.

(TARTELETTES AUX NOIX)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The big, All-American layer cake returns. Think pancakes and syrup, all dressed up. Buttermilk makes the cake moist, and maple-walnut candy provides the crunch.