When it comes to a dessert, a baked upside-down anything is a winner -- even when it’s a mistake. A tarte Tatin is a classic French upside-down fruit tart, traditionally made with apples. It’s named for the Tatin sisters, who created the upside-down caramelized tart, purportedly by accident, in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, in 1898. Legend has it that one of the sisters inadvertently omitted the pastry in an apple tart. The dessert was nimbly salvaged by placing the crust on top of the fruit, in a wonderful example of kitchen improvisation, which gave rise to a timeless dessert. (Wouldn’t it be nice if all kitchen disasters yielded such successful and delicious results?)

While tarte Tatins are often prepared with apples, they are also a lovely way to showcase other seasonal fruit, such as pears. Best of all, they are beautifully imperfect. Once you get the hang of making the caramel and performing the final inversion of the tart onto a plate, a tarte Tatin is unfussy and pleasing, and, in this case, irregular and uneven -- and more charming for that.

This recipe has a sour cream pastry, which creates a crumbly, cookie-like crust. As the tart bakes in the oven, the caramel from the fruit filling will bubble up in spots through the crust. This is a good thing. The crust will continue to bake, and when the tart is finished and cooling, the wayward caramel will harden and coat the crust with a shiny shellac of sweetness. Need I say more?

Pear and Cardamom Tarte Tatin

Active time: 40 minutes

Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes, plus chilling time for the dough

Yield: Serves 8

Pastry:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/3 cup full-fat sour cream

Tart:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, cut into 4 pieces

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

6 large Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled, cored and halved

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 egg, beaten to blend, for glaze

Prepare the dough: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is pea-sized. Add the sour cream and pulse until moist clumps form.

Gather the dough into a ball, and then flatten and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (The dough may be made one day ahead and refrigerated until use, or frozen for up to one month. Allow to defrost in refrigerator overnight before using.)

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling out.

Prepare the tart: Place the butter in the bottom of a large ovenproof skillet with sloping sides. Sprinkle the 1 cup sugar evenly over the butter and pan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts, the sugar is partially dissolved, and the mixture is bubbling, about 2 minutes.

Arrange the pears closely together, cut sides up, in a circular pattern in the skillet. Cut the remaining pears into quarters to fill in the spaces. Mix the 1 tablespoon sugar, cardamom and nutmeg in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until a thick, amber-colored syrup forms, turning the skillet to ensure even cooking, about 25 minutes.

While the fruit is cooking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pastry on parchment paper to a round shape slightly larger than the skillet. Slide the paper onto a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until the syrup is ready.

When the syrup has colored, remove the skillet from the heat and lay the pastry over the fruit. Cut 3 to 4 slits in the pastry and brush it with the egg glaze. (Work quickly, because it will begin to melt from the heat of the pan.)

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the tart is deep golden brown and firm when tapped, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and cool on a rack 1 minute.

Cut around edge of skillet with a metal spatula to loosen the pastry. Place a large plate over the skillet and, using oven mitts, invert the tart onto the plate. If any of the pears or caramel are stuck in the pan, remove with the spatula and spread on top of tart. Cool the tart slightly before serving; serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

581-7500

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This is not a leftover turkey recipe, but do not fret. While this recipe focuses on pork, the beauty of a chile verde is that you can use the recipe as a template and substitute in your favorite meat for the pork. Chunks of dark chicken are great flavorful contenders. And, yes, turkey leftovers can be switched in, as well.

The tomatillo base of the stew, the key component of this recipe, remains the same no matter the meat. The smoky, herbaceous salsa verde melds with a savory chicken (or turkey) stock, creating a stew that is bright, fresh and comforting at once.

Note that the cooking times will vary depending on your meat choice. Pork requires the longest time to slowly cook and tenderize (and infuse the stew with its flavor, which is a tasty benefit of this recipe). If you use fresh chicken meat or turkey meat, the simmering time will be shorter, approximately 1 hour. And if you repurpose your abundance of turkey leftovers, the time will be about 30 minutes. I recommend testing the stew for doneness every 30 minutes or so if you switch out the pork.

Pork Chile Verde

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Salsa Verde:

1 pound tomatillos

1 poblano pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 large jalapeno pepper, halved lengthwise, seeded

1 medium white onion, cut into 6 to 8 wedges

1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 to 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder (butt), excess fat trimmed, cut in 1-inch chunks

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 cups chicken or turkey stock

Optional:

Cooked long-grain rice

Tortillas, warmed

Chopped fresh cilantro

Chopped red onion

Sliced avocado

Lime wedges

Make the salsa verde: Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse under cold water to remove the sticky film. Halve the tomatillos crosswise and arrange, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange the poblano, jalapeno and onion around the tomatillos in one layer. Place under the oven broiler and broil until the vegetables are charred, 5 to 7 minutes, rotating the pan once or twice.

Cool slightly and peel away the pepper skins as much as possible (it’s OK if some bits remain; they add flecks of char). Transfer the vegetables and any juices to a food processor. Add the cilantro, lime juice, salt and black pepper and process to achieve a salsa consistency.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Season the pork on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, brown the meat on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining pork.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano and coriander and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the stock and stir up any brown bits. Return the pork to the pot, pour in the salsa verde, and stir to coat. Transfer to the oven and cook until the pork is tender, about 2 hours, stirring once or twice. Remove from the oven. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Ladle into bowls. Serve with rice and tortillas, if desired, and optional garnishes.

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Tradition has it that a Thanksgiving turkey dinner is not complete without cranberry sauce. Tradition also has it that every November, I find myself scratching my head, trying to reimagine cranberry sauce.

I have nothing against cranberries, mind you -- nor a sauce, for that matter. I couldn’t imagine the holiday table without a heaping bowl of glistening ruby berries simmered into a tart compote. Yet each year, I make a cranberry sauce and present it at the table. And each year, I wrap up the sauce after our meal, nearly untouched, and store it in the refrigerator for goodness-knows-what future purpose. I am not sure if this is a problem unique to my family, or if it’s a hushed issue shared by others, too embarrassed to voice their cranberry dysfunction in public. Let me know if you have any insight.

Nevertheless, each year I persevere and make a cranberry sauce -- but now I make it with a twist. A straightforward cranberry sauce consists of cranberries and sugar, which (to me) is one-dimensional. Why not step out of the comfort zone and make a jazzy sauce that can be creatively repurposed? I jack up my sauce, transforming it into what could also be called a chutney -- in other words, a condiment that has legs: a tasty, vibrant sauce that will carry you through the entertaining season.

Chutneys are a raucous sludge of fresh and dried fruit simmered in a sweet, sharp bath of citrus, maybe vinegar, perhaps a splash of spirits, and infused with sweet whole spices, savory aromatics and a kick of heat. A sweet and puckery chutney will provide a little extra bling to your Thanksgiving while seamlessly multitasking beyond the turkey dinner, because, yes, there may be leftovers. Spread it on a sandwich, serve it on a cheese and charcuterie board, dab it on cocktail crostini, or spoon a dollop alongside a beef roast or pork loin. Who knows? You might be very pleased this year when you have a lot of cranberry sauce left over after Thanksgiving.

Cranberry Bourbon Chutney

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes, plus overnight chilling

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup bourbon

3 coins cut from a finger of fresh ginger

1 (3-inch) sprig fresh rosemary

1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick

Zest of one orange

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the cranberries burst and the chutney thickens, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and cool completely. Discard the ginger, rosemary sprig and cinnamon stick. Transfer the chutney to a glass container and refrigerate for at least 1 day to allow the flavors to develop. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. Serve at room temperature.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS