These toffee cookies are biscuits topped with melted dark chocolate, pecans, and a sprinkle of fleur de sel. Serve the cookies as dessert or give as a gift.

These crumbly lavender shortbread are filled with sweet butter, a whisper of vanilla, and fine fleur de sel. The shortbread make excellent holiday gifts.

Gingerbread butter drops pack a wallop of spice and lemon. The butter drops are great for a dessert table, snack, or lunchbox. Gingerbread lovers exalt!

The French classic steak with pepper, steak au poivre, is updated with black, green, white peppercorns and allspice. A cognac pan sauce seals the deal.

This isn’t a coffee cake, as in a cake you drink with coffee. It’s a cake flavored with strong coffee and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

The is peach cake is ripe with flavor. The secret? Canned peaches. They stud the cake, adding extra flavor. The cream cheese frosting is, well, you know.

Dense, rich, and decadent, this pound cake is made for chocoholics. Cocoa give the cake its chocolate punch. This cake is too big on flavor to be contained in a loaf pan.

Lemon and cream cheese have long been companions in American baking, and this fun-to-assemble, sweet-tart filled coffee cake makes it easy to see why.

This macaroni and cheese dish is studded with bacon, and filled with sour cream and Cheddar cheese. This mac and cheese is what momma’s comfort food is all about.

Chicken and dumplings are a classic American favorite. For this recipe, chicken is stewed in a creamy gravy while buttery, light, fork-tender dumplings sit on top.

For this salad, fresh pears are poached in red wine to give them a gorgeous color and deeper flavor that’s delicious with the assertive blue cheese and toasty hazelnuts.

This recipe for a hearty Swiss potato braise is deeply flavored with German speck or slab bacon, pears, apples, and a touch of cream.

Grits get the royal treatment with the addition of wild mushrooms, cheese, and truffle oil. These grits, with its earthy flavors, make an ideal partner to meaty dishes or by itself for instant comfort food.

Maple glazed tuna is just that: tuna steak brushed with a maple syrup-mustard glaze. Along side is a salad of Yukon Gold potatoes, pears, nuts and greens.

For this barley salad, pearl barley and black barley are tossed with pine nuts, chiles, cucumber, and olives. Serve the salad as starter or as a toothsome lunch.

Basmati rice is first cooked, mixed with apricots, onion, saffron, cinnamon, and then fried to get a nice crust. Pomegranate seeds give color and sassiness.

Split pea soup is gussied up with bits of smoky ham hocks for a hearty winter meal. The pea soup can be thick or thin. We’re of the thick pea soup camp.

Here are six recipes from chefs and cookbooks authors that help put a sophisticated spin on your Hanukkah meals.

Braised short ribs are a staple in Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo. This recipe captures the flavors, texture, and succulence of his dish. The ribs are served with pumpkin orzo and a sprinkling of gremolata.

From the beginning of December on through the New Year, glogg–a spiced wine–is served in Swedish homes on festive occasions or when visitors drop by.

New potatoes are fried along with vegetables to make this potato hash. On top are poached egg and salsa fresca. With all these potatoes and eggs, the dish is perfect for weekend breakfasts.

Eggs Benedict is a stalwart classic of brunch menus. This version of the dish adds sliced, rich avocado for variety. Try steamed crab or lobster under the eggs for something different.

Baked apples are smothered in a buttery mix of raisins, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make these baked apples as an autumn dessert or for a holiday table.

These tapenades–green-olive tapenade, black-olive tapenade, and sun-dried tomato tapenade–are a great nibble. Vibrant colors, equally vibrant flavors.

Meaty shrimp stud this creamy, oozing risotto. The recipe’s flavor is deep thanks to a shrimp stock, made with the shells, which enriches the risotto.