Orange

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 4 hr

For convenience, these can be made up to three days ahead.

A dessert that is simply ready-made pound cake that has been accented with an orange custard cream.

Ken Hom likes to dry his duck the traditional way: He hangs it in front of a fan at cool room temperature for 1 day. In keeping with U.S. food-safety standards, we've adapted his technique for the refrigerator, with excellent results. The Pekin (Long Island) duck available in the U.S. has a thicker layer of fat than the French variety, but we were still able to roast away most of the fat layer, leaving mahogany-colored crisp skin. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 3 1/2 days

Parisians love chocolate, and cooks in Paris might make this with Valrhona, one of the best French brands. Begin preparing the dessert a day ahead.

This refreshing dessert comes from Lincoln Carson, pastry chef at the Highlands Inn in Carmel Highlands, California. It has a lovely rich texture, even though it has no eggs.

Grand Marnier gives an extra kick to the frozen orange mousse, and pistachios make the crust crunchy. Start preparing this at least a day before you plan to serve it.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Pistachio Blancmanges . Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Hojuelas de Harina con Miel de Pilón Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Blood oranges have red flesh and sweet-tart juice. They're available at farmers' markets and, increasingly, at supermarkets. This syrup would also be good over waffles.

Founded in 1912 in the city's historic district, Café Tacuba is a Mexico City institution. The beautiful Talavera tiles that decorate the 19th-century colonial-style building are worth a visit in and of themselves. The extensive menu offers a little something for everyone — from huevos rancheros for breakfast to roast beef for dinner. The popular buñuelos (sweet fritters) are particularly delicious.

"The Indians and English use them much," wrote one visitor to New England in 1663, "boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their Meat, and it is a delicate Sauce." Although there is little evidence that cranberry sauce was served at the first Thanksgiving, it is assumed that Indians brought it to the feast. This tangy version gets its intense flavor and color from a mixture of fresh and dried cranberries, along with frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate.

Caffelatte is what Italians of all ages have for breakfast at home. For small children it is a cupful of warm milk lightly stained with coffee, the ratio of coffee to milk increasing with one's years. It is often accompanied by some store-bought biscuits, but not in my assistant Nadia's family. She lives on her father's farm outside Venice with her husband and small boy, and for her son Tommaso she bakes wholesome cakes with fresh fruit. He has some with his caffeelatte and takes another piece to school to eat for merenda, recess. I was particularly taken with the cake Nadia makes when there is no more summer fruit on the farm. She uses pears and apples and always adds a banana she buys in town. The proportions of one fruit to another may vary, and indeed Nadia says they always do, but nothing much can go wrong or affect the cake's plainspoken, engagingly fresh taste.