Nut

Pastry chef Gale Gand found this family-favorite recipe in her Hungarian grandmother's recipe file.

Spaghetti con Salsa di Olive e Pinoli All'arturo This pretty, confetti-like dish is sure to become one of your weekday standbys. Not only is it easy to prepare, but you've likely got all the ingredients right there in your fridge. The trick is to hand-chop everything very finely, so that you get just the right amount of fiery crunch in every bite.

At Caffè Sicilia, this granita is served for breakfast along with a brioche and a shot of espresso—a wonderful way to start the day. Unlike most other granitas, it has an almost creamy texture. (The Caffè Sicilia almond paste, though pricey, is worth it: Incredibly moist and possessing a delicate floral quality, it tastes so pure that we actually eat it by the spoonful.)

These crisp biscotti are made without butter. Instead, the natural fat in hazelnuts is put to good use when the nuts are ground with the sugar for the dough. This way, every bite is imbued with their flavor.

Think beyond the salad bowl: Cooking escarole tempers its slight bitterness; pine nuts are a mellow complement.

Cauliflower, enhanced with toasty almonds and a briny parsley-olive mixture, holds its own as the star in this simple and slightly spicy vegetarian supper.

The recipe and introductory text below are from Alex Jamieson's book, The Great American Detox Diet.

Pumpkin, packed with vitamin A, proves it has a life after Thanksgiving.

The juicy pears in this elegant tart provide a dose of filling fiber. Each slice also serves up a helping of satiating healthy fat and phytonutrients, which come from the almonds.

Two of these nutty nibbles are only 225 calories.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party, click here. These fancy flavored nuts require almost no effort. Prepare 'em in advance, store 'em in a well-sealed container, and when the time is right, let your salads, desserts, and cheese plates go nuts with sugar or spice or both. To only "caramelize" the nuts, skip the cayenne and black pepper, which make them "spiced."

Peanut-studded brownies, peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache...what better way to savor the PB-chocolate combo?

A layer cake with a simple, modern look.

A perfect balance of sweet, savory, soft, and crunchy.

Doughnuts meet bananas Foster in this playful dessert.