"I like this salad in the Fall, just when I begin to prepare myself for the oncoming winter and its dearth of fresh fruits and vegetables.  It's delicious alongside almost any veggie burger, thought the Sweet Potato Burgers with Lentil sand Kale and the Red Lentil and Celery Root Burgers are top contenders for most perfect matches."

These spicy cookies flatten slightly as they bake. They’re crackled on top, crisp on the outside and slightly soft in the center.

A change of pace from molasses flavoured recipes, this one is taken from the large yellow Gourmet cookbook. Ours cooked a bit faster than theirs in the covered 2 hour stint. I'd uncover sooner and bake for less time. The magic happens once their get uncovered! We used the bacon option.

This is a rich, candy-like dessert. A small piece goes a long, delicious way. For a more intricate icing, drizzle melted red currant jelly in straight lines over the icing. Pull the point of a knife through the lines to make a pretty design.

Use about 8oz of shortbread cookies and process in a food processor to make crumbs. Make the slices up to three days ahead of time.

By MELISSA CLARK (Photo Evan Sung for The New York Times)
There is gingerbread, a homey and rustic snack with tea. And then there is ginger cake, which is fancier and company-worthy and meant for dessert.

This rich, fragrant confection from The Marrow in the West Village is decidedly on the cake side of this gingery spectrum.

A fine version of a hearty classic.