Cranberry

My friend Keena lives less than a mile away and has a plum tree she can't keep up with. In early fall, she makes jam with as many plums as she can and sends me home with a big grocery bag full of them every time I see her. I'm not much of a canner, so I began sautéing them and using them as a topping for yogurt and porridge, and as a filling for these simple buckwheat crepes. While buckwheat groats have a pretty distinct flavor and can be a hard sell for many folks, buckwheat flour is commonly used and adored in both sweet and savory crepes. For this recipe, use oval-shaped Italian plums (or prune plums) if you can; they're nice and firm and lend themselves well to sautéing—or just plain snacking. Morning Notes: The crepe batter needs to rest for at least an hour, so plan accordingly or make the batter and refrigerate it overnight. If you go that route, the crepes cook best when the batter is at room temperature, so let it sit out for at least 30 minutes before cooking them.

The icebox has gone the way of the horse and buggy, but it didn't disappear before lending its name to the original concept of the slice-and-bake cookie. A roll of this flavorful dough—chock-full of pistachios, cranberries, and oats—in the freezer or fridge is like money in the bank. Impromptu party? Friends drop by unexpectedly? No problem! Just cut off the slices you need, bake them up, and the aroma alone will drive people crazy before they even get a chance to take a bite. You can gussy them up with a drizzle of chocolate, a dusting of shiny sanding sugar, or just leave them be. We expect you'll use this recipe as a template for a year-round supply of creative dough logs: Sour cherries and pecans, golden raisins and walnuts, chopped dates and pine nuts, or just plain chocolate chips. The possibilities are endless. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Holiday Cookie Craze. Menu also includes Coconut Macaroon Sandwiches with Lime Curd and Salted Brown Butter Cookies .

Who knew Cabernet and cranberries would make such a dynamic duo? Add dried figs (plumped in the Cabernet ahead of time), and you end up with a winey, fruity fig bar, minus the cookie. This sauce is so fine, you'll be spooning leftovers on ice cream or slathering it on toast in place of jam. It's worth buying extra cranberries and freezing them so you can make more to last you through the winter. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of our Gourmet Modern Menu for Thanksgiving for 2 or 20. Menu also includes: Citrus-Sage Roast Turkey with Gravy (whole turkey or breast ); Roasted Butternut Squash Ribbons with Arugula, Pancetta, and Hazelnut Salad; Mashed Potato and Cauliflower Gratin; Challah, Sausage, and Dried Cherry Stuffing; and for dessert, Apple Crostata with Spiced Caramel Sauce .

Is one made with cocktails in hand. Float a cranberry or two on top to snaz them up.

The cherry-cranberry combination achieves the perfect balance of flavors alongside a roasted turkey or ham—or drizzled on vanilla ice cream. If cherry cider is hard to find, substitute a sweet-tart fruit juice such as cranberry or pomegranate.

Jellied candies like these are eaten all over Europe as post-dessert petits fours.

When Todd and I are craving the flavors of Thanksgiving—or when we’re spending the holiday alone and I’m not in the mood to cook a whole turkey just for the two of us—I make these holiday-worthy ravioli. They look and taste festive, and there are never any leftovers!

You can substitute dried cranberries or raisins for the dried cherries in this recipe.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

If you can’t find blood oranges, use regular ones.

To bake individual pies, use 6 10-ounce ramekins, and reduce cooking time to 20 to 30 minutes.

I’ve long believed that the connecting link in any Thanksgiving dinner is the cranberry relish. It ties all the other flavors together, its juices running in all directions on the plate, blending with the gravy, potatoes, and the dressing, and finally, enlivening the turkey itself with its sweet-and-sour flavor tones. Of course, it has to be good cranberry relish, with coarsely chopped berries, walnuts, and orange juice, not just the canned jelly slices. This bread captures those flavors and can be used to supplement the relish (which always seems to run out before I’ve had my fill). It also makes a beautiful table presentation, with its double-decker braiding, evocative of a traditional celebration challah (page 133).

Use seasonal fruit so you can serve this salad with its mildly sweet and tart dressing year-round.

Min’s Cranberry Fruit Salad is the result of her crusade to bring vibrant colors and crisp textures to those brown winter meals—including plenty of the cheater pulled and chopped meats. Bright cranberries and fall fruits make a drop-dead gorgeous salad with body, color, and crunch. Smoked turkey, chicken, pork loin, and brisket are always better with a bright accessory. Freeze extra cranberries in the fall to whip this up throughout the winter.

This version of the Ginger Smash is the original Employees Only seasonal cocktail. We set out to create a cocktail composed of ingredients that warm you up on a winter day. The result was so tasty and fresh in aroma that it was a “smash” from the start. It remains, to this day, one of our best sellers.

Berries and apples are my favorite fruit combination in crumbles and cobblers. I try to have blueberries and cranberries as often as possible for their powerful antioxidant goodness. Here’s a way to enjoy a sweet, delectable crumble, minus the thirty-minute baking time usually required. The twist here is that it’s made on the stovetop rather than baked in the oven.

Talk about zing! This pie will turn even the most bland and basic of winter dinners into a completely memorable meal. The red color of fresh cranberries mixed in with the pale hues of apples and pears makes for a gorgeous presentation. But that’s just the beginning. This pie also beautifully combines the tartness of cranberries with the sweetness of apples and pears. To really highlight the spectacular color of this pie, use either the Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Topping or the Walnut Crumb Topping (page 14). Or if you want to highlight the tartness of the cranberries, I recommend using the double-crust Traditional Pastry Piecrust (page 5).