Dried Apricot

Rum and spices-classic Caribbean ingredients-also happen to be the classic ingredients in the traditional English steamed pudding. This lovely version of the Christmas dessert is from the Grand View Beach Hotel, Villa Point, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Begin preparing it at least one day before serving.

For Golden Pumpkin adn Apricot Layer Cake Try any extra puree with biscuits or waffles.

Call them galettes sucrees, mandelbrot, or biscotti — I love these Moroccan cookies, made by Rosette Toledano of Netanya, who, as her daughter says, "puts her heart in her cooking."

Warming harissa and cinnamon, briny olives, and sweet dried fruit make up the flavorful base for this weeknight-friendly take on tagine.

These meatballs made of beef, rice, and split peas are stuffed with dried fruit and braised in a flavorful tomato sauce—a hearty, satisfying labor of love.