Make Ahead

Bobotie In the popular South African dish known as bobotie, leftover lamb or beef is minced and combined with bread and spices and baked for awhile before being covered with a custard and baked again. It is generally served in squares or wedges. We have substituted kaffir lime leaves for the lemon leaves called for in the original and used ground meat instead of minced.

This recipe combines the oriental technique of velveting with the Indian flavors of a fresh herb chutney.

"One Saturday morning I came up with this bread recipe, and now my family asks for it all the time," writes Priscilla Unger of Alberta, Canada. "My husband insists on having his first slice while the loaf is still warm from the oven, but I prefer mine toasted and topped with marmalade." The slightly sweet bread is great with butter and preserves.

These Christmas cookies are topped with white icing and silver dragées for added elegance. Look for the dragées in the cake decorating section of your supermarket.

This recipe creates enough batter for a 3-quart bundt pan, but it can also be baked in smaller pans, though baking time will vary accordingly.

For a curved tuile-like shape, these cookies may be draped over a rolling pin after their second baking, while they are still warm. If the cookies become too brittle to form on the rolling pin, return baking sheets to oven for a few seconds to allow the cookies to soften.

A sinfully rich dessert that's amazingly easy to prepare.

Thanks to the native Wampanoags, the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 were quickly introduced to such important New World foods as cranberries and corn. The newcomers returned the favor by planting apples, which flourished and were soon available in many American varieties. This wonderful holiday pie, with its cornmeal crust and mixed-fruit filling, celebrates that early culinary sharing. It's a delicious combination of some of our most traditional American flavors.

Zabaglione, the Italian custard made of egg yolks, Marsala and sugar, is used as a frozen filling for a crunchy macaroon crust.

These hors d'oeuvres—a dressed-up version of shrimp toasts—are adapted from a recipe by Chinese cooking authority Nina Simonds, a longtime contributor to our pages.

Sweet potatoes have been cultivated in the South since at least the 1700s. A touch of cardamom gives this dish modern flair.

This pretty, easy-to-make first-course soup is flavorful and creamy, yet is extremely low fat-it has only one tablespoon of butter and no cream at all (except for an optional sour cream garnish). Pour your favorite beer or a fruity white wine throughout the evening.