French

In most of France, turkey with chestnuts has become a standard Christmas dish, but in the southwest, goose is preferred.

Here's a variation on the classic raspberry-jam-filled Viennese specialty, Linzertorte. Show off these cookies in a box that's lined with lace or a linen napkin, and trimmed with wire ribbon.

Pear and Dried Cherry Frangipane Cake Recipe

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.<P> This recipe originally accompanied epi:recipeLink=101054"Pineapple Rum Trifle Cake</epi:recipeLink>.

You can make this dish with white truffles as well. Canned white truffles are more pungent than the black ones and provide an exciting gastronomic treat when added to the sauce.

Sole mousselines are a culinary classic — we added scallop to bring in a note of sweetness that perfectly balances the fresh flavor of the cucumber soup. The mousselines would also be delicious served on their own with a beurre blanc, or the purée could be spread and baked in a loaf pan and served as fish pâté. This recipe is an accompaniment for Warm Cucumber Soup with Scallop and Sole Mousselines.

A version of the famous Parisian ham-and-cheese sandwich pairs up with a classic soup.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This is the best clafouti I have ever tasted, for it is short on flour, long on custard, and the butter gives it an added depth of flavor. Remove the pits if you like. If you leave the pits in the cherries, be sure to warn your guests so they don't crack their teeth!

This modification of a classic soup uses less cream than traditional versions.

A French flourless nut cake, topped with poached pears, is lovely for Hanukkah.

(Provençal Basil Sauce) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This classically simple milliard is similar to a clafouti - both desserts are a cross between a cake and a custard and are about as thick as a thin cake layer.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Pear Charlottes with Chamomile Crème Anglaise .

(Pompe à l'Huile)