Holiday recipe collection

Kalakukko: a traditional Finnish rye-crusted fish pie with pork and small whole fish sealed inside a dense rye dough, slow-baked for hours. A Savonian heirloom and Easter specialty.

Kalyan made this for us while visiting for Christmas. He called it "paravannam."

Even though these have very little sugar, they are fabulous. They even give Kolaches some stiff competition.

Add a European touch to your Christmas baking skills with these scrumptious snacks made with cream cheese, walnuts and dark rum.

This delicious dish is made with dried fruit, sweet cherries, juicy apples and seedless grapes.

Kransekake, a traditional Scandinavian tower cake made from ground almonds, powdered sugar, potato flour, and egg whites. A gluten-free celebration cake for Christmas and weddings.

This recipe could be used as part of a 12-course meal known in Polish as Wigilia, or on its own. Wigilia is eaten after sundown on Christmas Eve.

A lattice-topped mincemeat tart for Christmas: spiced fruit mincemeat baked in a crisp butter-and-lard shortcrust under a delicate woven lattice, dusted with icing sugar. One big tart instead of fiddly individual pies.

Lebkuchen (German honey cakes) blend honey, brown sugar, lemon, almonds, citron, and warm spices into a chewy spice cookie cut into fancy holiday shapes. Traditional Christmas cookie from Nuremberg.

Very beautiful ice cream, definitly will make it again.

Citrus lovers will like this refreshing crispy cookie from Jocelyn Moritz of Waukesha.

Lemon-pecan torte made with ground pecans and matzoh meal instead of flour, topped with a lemon curd glaze. A naturally flourless cake perfect for Passover.

The colors the fruits used in the cookies suggest those of the robes worn by the four ordres mendiants, monastic orders that originally lived on charity -- the Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans and Franciscans.

Linzer Augen are Austria's almond shortbread sandwich cookies: two tender, nutty rounds glued with apricot jam, the top cut with a little window that frames the glistening preserves under a snowfall of powdered sugar. A Christmas cookie tin classic.

Classic Linzer squares and thumbprint cookies with toasted hazelnut dough, cinnamon and raspberry jam filling. Austrian-style Christmas cookie baking from one batch of dough.

An apricot stuff for roasting whole chicken or turkey, perfect for the holidays. From a church LIFE cookbook. Bake outside the bird for a low fat alternative.