Make Ahead

Try this with grilled lamb chops, pork, or chicken.

Freshly grinding the cinnamon—in an electric coffee/spice grinder—takes this breakfast ring to the next level.

Top this decadent dessert from Pastis in New York with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, if you like.

This spicy-sweet salsa makes a delicious accompaniment to grilled pork, chicken, or duck.

Mexican chocolate contains cinnamon, sugar, and ground almonds, making this sauce somewhat granular in texture. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

I once owned a summer cottage on Sawyer's Island in Maine. The little cove in front of the house, too small to be named on navigational charts, was called Clam Cove by the locals. I never did any clamming — fishing was my thing — but I have a vivid memory of the muddy flats at low tide, feeling the soft-shell clams under my feet and seeing their tiny sprays coming out of the mud as they burrowed down to get out of my way. Soft-shell clams have two oval shells, about two to three inches long, that gape along the edges. Their most prominent feature is a siphon, about a quarter of the length of the shell, which sticks out of the clam. Whole soft-shell clams are often referred to as "steamers," because that is the way they are most often prepared. When salty old-timers refer to "clams," soft-shells are what they mean. Shucked raw, soft-shell clams may be called "fryers" or "frying clams." Frying clams make a superb chowder, but they are very expensive because of the labor involved in shucking them. I prefer to steam whole soft-shell clams for chowder. That way, I save a few dollars and get a fantastic broth in the process. The flavor of steamer broth is sweeter and more subtle and round than the pungent broth quahogs (hard-shell clams) yield. The chowder made from steamers may have a little less strength up front, but it is equal to quahog chowder in deep lingering flavor. To celebrate the difference, I use salt pork instead of bacon in steamer chowder, I don't add garlic, and I use fewer herbs and seasoning, letting the luscious little clams provide most of the flavor. And they always rise to the occasion, producing one of the most delicious chowders imaginable.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

This recipe yields an extra cake layer that can be reserved for another time. Wrap it tightly in foil, and freeze it for up to a month. Keeping the cake wrapped, defrost it at room temperature; then serve it with berries and whipped cream or ice cream.

An easy soup from Caffe Trinity in San Francisco.

This simple side dish from River's End Restaurant is terrific with grilled fish. For a pretty presentation, serve the slaw on radicchio leaves.

Throughout Abraham Lincoln's political career, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, would periodically bake for him the Todd family's favorite cake, based on a recipe dating back to 1825. On first tasting it, Lincoln is reported to have said that this white almond cake was the "best I ever ate." That's high praise, but we've made a good thing even better by adding a coffee-cinnamon layer and drizzling the cake with a luscious coffee glaze.

A chewy brownie with an intense coffee flavor.

These replace the more familiar Hanukkah latkes that are prepared with grated raw potatoes. The croquettes are made with bolbess, the Jewish mashed potato stuffing for goose. But like latkes, they are fried in oil to symbolize the miracle of the oil that is the basis for Hanukkah. In the second century b.c., a one-day supply of oil burned for eight days and nights after followers of Judah Maccabee captured the Holy Temple of Jerusalem from their Syrian oppressors. Fried foods are served at Hanukkah in commemoration.