Walnuts

This is the season for buttery new-crop walnuts.

Julienne: If you’re just looking for something on the run, get the chocolate truffle walnut bar. Otherwise, consider the tart of chocolate, caramel and crushed walnuts layered in a cookie crust shell or the square of pumpkin cake filled with chopped walnuts and covered with cream cheese icing and chopped walnuts. (Chocolate truffle walnut bar, $1.75; chocolate caramel walnut tart, $5.50; pumpkin walnut square, $1.95) Julienne, 2651 Mission St., San Marino, (626) 441-2299.

Sage: Here you can begin and end your meal with walnuts. For an appetizer, have the salad of baby greens, Anjou pears, Gorgonzola, toasted walnuts and grilled duck breast tossed in raspberry vinaigrette, sprinkled with dried cranberries and garnished with julienne sweet potatoes. For dessert, get the apple walnut crumble with vanilla bean ice cream. (Grilled duck breast salad, $14; apple walnut crumble, $6.) Sage, Eastbluff Center, 2531 Eastbluff Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 718-9650.

La Brea Bakery: On the weekend you’ll find scones swirled with chocolate and chopped walnuts; warm them up with a little butter. You might also find spicy walnuts. If not, you can order this irresistible caramelized snack on 48 hours’ notice. (Chocolate walnut scones, $2.50; spicy walnuts, $10 a pound.) La Brea Bakery, 624 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 939-6813.

Vincente: There are two walnut pastas here: spaghetti alla chitarra with rapini (broccoli rabe), bottarga (dried fish roe) and walnuts, and tagliatelle with Taleggio cheese, smoked pork cheek and, yes, walnuts. For dessert, there’s pecorino wrapped in walnut leaves, served with chestnut honey and ... walnuts! (Spaghetti or tagliatelli, $15; pecorino with honey and walnuts, $9.) Vincente, 11930 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, (310) 207-0127.

Spago: Pastry chef Molly Yard poaches Seckel pears in Concord grape juice and sets them on French toast with honey and candied walnuts; pear and Concord grape sorbet come on the side. She also makes a chocolate walnut torte topped with a walnut pie filling, stuck under the broiler until the nuts are crunchy. The “wet” walnut sundae is rum raisin ice cream in a molasses-walnut-orange juice sauce, served with two crisp waffle cookies. (All desserts, $12.) Spago, 176 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 385-0880.