The holiday season is full of traditions. Traditions bring pleasure and reassurance. They give us something to look forward to, and in times of difficulty or uncertainty, traditions root and comfort us. Sharing and repeating traditions connects us to our past and reinforces our relationships with family and loved ones.

A tradition can be a simple gesture or ritual, an act of faith or a gregarious celebration. It needn’t be elaborate; in fact, it can be as simple as a cake.

In our home, this cake is made at least once during the holiday season. It’s a simple, uncomplicated treat for busy days and frenetic times, meant to be left on the kitchen counter for a sweet pick-me-up or a moment of repose. It’s an all-day cake, because it’s equally appropriate for breakfast or afternoon tea, and elegant enough for an understated dessert.

Thanks to an infusion of orange and olive oil, the cake is redolent with citrus and spice, and it's unfailingly moist. Almond meal lightens and adds a wholesome crumb, which encourages second helpings. While this cake will last for days at room temperature, it’s likely to be devoured before the sun sets twice.

The recipe ages well, passed between the hands of family bakers. And, like the telling of an oft-repeated family story, there may be tiny embellishments and tweaks made, depending on the baker. For instance, baking soda is now added to elevate the cake and offset any remarkable sinkage in the center. (Baking soda neutralizes any acid in the batter; in this case, citrus juice.) The spices may be slightly edited, influenced by the contents of the spice drawer and creative whimsy. Cardamom often plays a lead role, while ground coriander and cinnamon may step in for support. The citrus zest, however, is nonnegotiable and should never be skimped.

The final presentation can be as grand or as simple as you'd like. Serve it as a no-nonsense naked cake, because it can surely stand on its own and should be celebrated as such. If that's too plain for your liking, jiggle a flurry of confectioners' sugar over the top for lightness and snowy frivolity; bathe it in a citrusy sugar syrup for a sticky, shiny finish; or dress it up with a cloud of spirited whipped cream infused with orange liqueur. The possibilities are endless.

Spiced Orange Almond Cake

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 8

Cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup almond meal

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup fruity olive oil

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon (packed) finely grated orange zest, from an untreated orange

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, line with parchment and butter the parchment.

Combine the flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom and coriander in a bowl.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until light in color. Add the olive oil, orange juice, zest and vanilla and stir to blend. Add the dry ingredients and stir to blend without overmixing. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan and cool completely.

Serve dusted with confectioners' sugar or with whipped cream, if desired. The flavors of the cake will develop while it cools. Store the cake at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Optional glaze:

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup fresh orange juice in a small saucepan. Simmer until the sugar dissolves and the liquid reduces to a syrupy consistency, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. When the cake is finished baking, immediately brush the top with some of the glaze. When the sides of the pan are removed, brush with more syrup.

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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.

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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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