There's an order to this: candied ginger then cashews, cherries, apricots, and raisins—which clearly reveals Ina's not-so-secret dried fruit hierarchy. The chocolate began to harden as I was ...

(Candied peel will keep in the syrup for one ... (They must be thoroughly dry before you begin dipping.) To temper the chocolate: Melt 8 ounces of the chocolate in a bowl placed over simmering ...

Add the almonds, candied peel, stem ginger, and sour cherries and mix ... allow the base of the bowl to touch the water). Add the chocolate pieces and stir until smooth and melted.

To riff on this holiday dessert classic, we love adding blueberries, chocolate, candied ginger or bourbon to the mix, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. One of our favorite pies to bake on ...