Lebkuchen Cutout Cookies

These invitingly spicy glazed German cookies, which can be baked ahead, are what many holiday cooks like best. Roll and cut out rectangles, fun gingerbread folk, trees, stars, or — in the northern European holiday tradition — hearts.

Coconut Curried Chicken Phyllo Rolls

Spicy and slightly sweet, these pretty morsels have a creamy consistency from the coconut milk.

Alison's Dad's Fruitcake

This medium-dark fruitcake is full of nuts, fruit and lovely spices. If desired, unwrap occasionally and brush with more brandy.

Best Butter Tarts

Whether runny or firm, with raisins or nuts, butter tarts are treats that never go out of style. Because any sugar filling that overflows the pastry hardens quickly and sticks to the pan, be sure to remove the tarts as directed. Or count on family members to hang around the kitchen waiting to eat the tarts that stick and break.

Mini Plum Puddings

Sweet and oh so cute, these little steamed desserts are anything but old-fashioned.

Roast Turkey with Pacific Northwest Stuffing

Cornish Saffron Cake

Saffron is said to have arrived in England with the Phoenicians, who traded it for Cornish tin. In the past, when ingredients such as eggs were expensive, saffron was used to give rich yellow colour to this bread, once traditionally served at Easter.

Golden Brandy Nut-Free Fruitcake

A look through past recipes revealed that we have never developed a nut-free fruitcake – so here it is. A jewel-like topping and variety of fruits ensures that no one will even notice that the nuts are missing.

Swiss Chard Dolmas with Tomato Sauce

From the Arabic word for “something stuffed,” dolmas make a deliciously satisfying vegetarian meal. Choose Swiss chard with white stems, which usually mean thick leaves. Look for Puy lentils in specialty food stores.

Sugar Plum Cakes

These little cakes are a two-day project, but such a pleasant one, preparing fruit one day, the batter and baking the next.