Gourmet

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Frying the lime wedges gives them a pleasing golden color and enables the juice to squirt out with the slightest pressure.

These spice cookies are reminiscent of those our associate food editor enjoys on frequent visits to Norway. Cut them into different shapes and enjoy their crisp texture.

This dish is said to have first been prepared in the imperial kitchens for Sultan Murad IV in the early 1600s.

Caldo Verde This soup may be made with regular kale, but lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan kale, cavolo nero, and black kale) has an artichoke-like sweetness that's so flavorful, we even loved the soup without the chorizo.

This cake, bursting with berries, is perfect for a picnic. Dress it up for company with unsweetened whipped cream and a simple vanilla custard sauce.

Lady apples—a small, hard winter apple that's yellow with a reddish cheek—are often used decoratively but we love them for their flavor. They're widely available in markets this time of year. Said to be one of the oldest known apple varieties, they originated in the Forest of Api, France, during medieval times.

"When I was a little girl, letter writing and sending packages was the only contact we had with my grandmother in Switzerland," write Barbara Fayeulle of Longmont, Colorado. "Every year, we would receive a cookie tin from her a couple of weeks before Christmas. When we would open it, the fabulous aroma of traditional Swiss Christmas cookies filled the kitchen and brought my grandmother close to me and to her son, my dad. After she passed away, Spitzbuben disappeared from our Christmas celebrations. Later, while on holiday in Switzerland, I plundered my aunt's recipe box and came upon my grandmother's recipe. What a surprise my dad received when he opened up the tin that Christmas. Spitzbuben were his favorite treat when he was growing up in Switzerland. Now I send him a huge tin of the cookies every year—to the chagrin of my mom, who watches his waistline."

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 45 min

This recipe makes more dressing than you'll need. The remainder makes a great everyday dressing for any type of green salad, or a delicious dip for chicken wings or raw vegetables.