Christmas

These irresistible treats are filled with dried apricots, figs and cherries as well as dates and walnuts, and are topped with a cream cheese frosting.

Braised carrots, a cucumber salad, and some steamed new potatoes sprinkled with chopped fresh dill are good choices to accompany this Swedish-inspired dish. Holiday cookies and mugs of hot apple cider make a happy ending.

Here's an updated version of the ice cream pie — a dessert popular in America for years. It has a parfait filling instead of ice cream and is assembled in a springform pan. The familiar cookie crust and fudgy topping are still part of the recipe, but the dessert is now sophisticated enough for company.

This Italian version of fruitcake is dense, chewy and candy-like. Wrap it in brightly colored cellophane for giving.

Set the truffles in paper or silver-foil candy cups, and offer them in baskets wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with raffia and pinecones. If you prefer, coat the truffles in 12 ounces of melted bittersweet chocolate instead of white chocolate.

This version of the much maligned Christmas classic is deliciously lacking in candied cherries, giant mixed nuts and citron, but it is filled with bits of marzipan and lots of appealing dried fruit. Baking the cakes in disposable aluminum loaf pans (available at supermarkets) or in decorative cardboard loaf pans (available at some cookware stores or by mail order) makes gift giving easy; just wrap each cake in its pan in cellophane, and add a colorful ribbon.

The standard Scandinavian way of cooking a goose or duck is to stuff it with apples and prunes. When cooking a duck, adjust amount of stuffing to the size of the fowl; a 5-6 pound duck takes about 2 cups of stuffing.

This German drink, called Grossmutters Punsch (Grandmother's Punch), is usually enjoyed warm at midnight on Christmas Eve. It can also be served as a refreshing chilled drink. For a festive touch, add a cinnamon stick to each glass.

Horseradish, which is found on the traditional seder plate, is used here with terrific results.

This English-style steamed pudding is a bit lighter than the typical rendition — with no candied fruit — and it looks pretty surrounded with holly leaves.

Here's a sophisticated but easy desert.

Potato gratin is, of course, the traditional side dish with roast beef, and this version is just right for a special occasion. Adding flavor are typical steak house ingredients, like mushrooms, garlic and herbs. Place a baking sheet in the oven on the rack below the gratin to catch any liquids that may bubble over.

These dense, moist treat are irresistible. Wrapped in a pretty box, they make a great gift, too.

Bright ribbons of cranberry puree swirled through a creamy white cheesecake create a pretty contrast. Begin the cake a day ahead.