A hearty chowder that is the definition of comfort food, especially on chilly nights.

These Indian-inspired bites are vegetarian, but even non-vegetarians will love them.The beauty of these Samosas is that they can be made ahead of time and frozen until it’s time to prepare for the party.

Lindsey Shere is a legendary pastry chef in California and this tart became a signature dessert. Adapted from Lindsey’s original recipe and tweaks by David Lebovitz.

This tart is best eaten with the fingers; it is too hard to cut easily with a fork. It is a good picnic dessert because it is virtually indestructible.

Delight guests with something different this holiday! The blackberry sage sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated and reheated. Serve with an earthy combination of pan-roasted mushrooms and sautéed greens. Note the cooking method starts with a cold pan. Gradually heating draws out more of the fat and crisps the skin of the duck.

A beautiful salad that captures the flavors of the season. Blue cheese is called for in this recipe, but you could use any cheese that you prefer. Also, if Asian Pears aren’t available use apples, mangoes or whatever else is best in your market.

Quality of the scallops is crucial to this dish and fresh “Day Boat”, “Diver” or “Dry Pack” jumbo scallops are called for (order from your fishmonger).  Day boat scallops are harvested daily and never put into a brine solution. As a result, the texture is meatier and they sear or grill beautifully, as opposed to those that have been soaking in a brine solution which is usually laced with tripolyphosphate that bleaches the scallop and encourages it to soak up water.