Pistachio

For a curved tuile-like shape, these cookies may be draped over a rolling pin after their second baking, while they are still warm. If the cookies become too brittle to form on the rolling pin, return baking sheets to oven for a few seconds to allow the cookies to soften.

Turkey will take a little longer to cook when it is stuffed and must be perfectly balanced on your spit. It is wise to tie it securely once you have achieved perfect balance with it. The stuffing will take the place of a starch dish and cut down on the preparations for the dinner. Allow 1 cup of stuffing for each pound of turkey.

If you choose to omit the sweetbreads, simply begin the recipe by sautéing the pancetta. (In that case, you may also want to purchase a larger veal or pork loin — going up to a 5-pound veal loin or a 6-pound pork loin.)

These are based on the wonderful pecan pralines of noted cookbook author and columnist Marion Cunningham.

This recipe makes more phyllo crisps (the building-block wafers of the napoleons) than you'll need—they can replace any that break along the way and are delicious on their own.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

This crisp and creamy dessert pairs pistachio praline meringues with lemon buttercream. The unique praline is also used to garnish the sides of the cake. Assemble it a day before serving to allow the buttercream to set and the flavors to come out.

Grand Marnier gives an extra kick to the frozen orange mousse, and pistachios make the crust crunchy. Start preparing this at least a day before you plan to serve it.

The pleasingly chewy biscotti are coated on one end with white chocolate. In our test kitchen, imported white chocolate, such as Perugina or Lindt, yielded the best results.

(Ghotab) After trying several kinds, we concluded that Iranian and Turkish pistachios* have the best flavor. Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 4 hr

Use to frost White Chocolate Easter Cake with Strawberries

If you are using salted pistachios, omit the 1/4 teaspoon salt in the ingredient list.