Nut

Slice the red beets last and keep them separate until serving so their color won't bleed onto the other vegetables.

This rustic tart, filled with toasted pistachios, hazelnuts, and pine nuts, is a wonderful take on pecan pie.

The Reid family crumbles blue cheese on top to add a salty bite.

Based on a dessert that Lo serves at Annisa, this custardy bread pudding is shot through with poppy seeds for a stunning visual and textural effect. The bread soaks overnight; begin 1 day ahead.

One slice of this classic dessert can pack 480 calories, 22 grams fat and 35 g sugar. (No, that's not á la mode.) Crust in time for the holidays.

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Black Rice with Squid .

• Picada is an aromatic sauce traditionally used in Catalan cuisine as a base flavoring for many dishes. It is also often added toward the end of cooking.
• Picada will keep for 1 week in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.

Fresh figs are a wealth of life force, containing thousands of tiny seeds that make them a very virile and hormone-rich food. These delicate fruits are very popular in the cuisines of Europe and the Middle East, where they originated. Feel free to use any sprouted nut in the preparation of the nut kreme; pecans are my favorite.

Thailand has been heavily influenced by Indian culture. India's religion, music, and especially their food have all become part of Thailand's heritage. Curries are often thought of as an Indian thing, but Thai versions of curry are just divine. Serve this dish with Tom Yum , if desired.

This rich, sweet dessert is almost candylike, though still nourishing with a decent dose of high-protein pecans and almond flour.

Editor's note: This recipe appears as part of our editors' Christmas Cookie Swap, 10 beloved holiday recipes from the editors of Epicurious and Gourmet Live. These bite-sized cookie balls are made of all the best things: ground vanilla wafers, ground pecans, confectioner's sugar, white Karo syrup, and good bourbon whiskey.

A grown-up version of a childhood favorite, this is delicious when spread thickly onto toast, inbetween cake layers, or when sandwiched in the middle of cookies—or if no—one's looking straight from the jar with a big spoon…

Classic baked Alaska is turned on its head with these individual desserts from Elizabeth Falkner of San Francisco's Citizen Cake. Coconut, pineapple, passion fruit, and a rum-soaked sorbet lend a tropical twist. To save time, use store-bought pineapple sorbet.

You only need 2 tablespoons of this paste for the Panang Vegetable Curry. Freeze tablespoonfuls of the remaining paste on a sheet pan, then store in a plastic freezer bag for up to 2 months. Use cubes to add deep flavor to soups, stews, and rice dishes.

The great thing about making chef Chang's fiery cuisine at home is that you control the heat with the chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns. They give this dish its distinctive color, flavor, and heat.

Blanch brussels sprouts and then shock them in an ice-water bath to keep them bright green and crisp-tender.

It's best to make and assemble this stunning layer cake at least one day in advance to let the chocolate, nut, and brandy flavors meld.

Use a whipped-cream dispenser to portion the mousse à la minute, or double the ingredients and whip to stiff peaks in a bowl with an electric mixer.

I especially enjoy the food blog www.deliciousdays.com. Recently I saw a recipe for a wheat-based muesli bread on that site and used it as inspiration for this nutty, sweet fruit loaf. When I want a healthy treat for dinner, I toast a slice and spread it with goat cheese.

This old-fashioned classic has many renditions but we love this one best; feel free to substitute milk, white, butterscotch, or bittersweet chocolate chips for the semi-sweet and almonds, walnuts, or peanuts for the pecans.