Berry

Grunts get their quirky name from the fact that the fruit, which is topped with dumplings and cooked on the stove in a covered skillet, can make a grunting sound as the dessert steams. Molasses adds sweetness and a lovely depth of flavor.

When it comes to ice cream cakes, there are no hard-and-fast rules as to what form they can take. Some consist solely of ice cream molded and then decorated to resemble a cake, while others intersperse layers of ice cream with thin layers of cake, crisp meringue, or even crumbled cookies. Our red, white, and blue July 4th extravaganza is a gorgeous amalgam of ice cream, cake, and blueberries and raspberries cooked separately into their own jammy fillings. Frosted simply in sweetened whipped cream and topped with more berries, this cake sparkles as much as the fireworks in the sky! Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A Fourth of July Cookout. Menu also includes Grilled Corn with Honey-Ginger Barbecue Sauce and Grilled Shrimp with Honey-Ginger Barbecue Sauce.

Why use frozen berries in the summer, when local fruit is at its peak? Because we love fresh local berries so much when whole or, in the case of strawberries, when sliced as well, puréeing them seems almost a sacrilege. If, however, you've got a surplus of fresh berries, go ahead and purée them.

Use the ripest, juiciest blackberries or raspberries for this cocktail.

The magic of this easy dessert happens in the fridge as the lemon juice sets the cream into a luscious custard— no eggs or gelatin required.

Maru is the name of the adorable Japanese cat whose love of jumping into and out of boxes has inspired us to waste many happy hours drinking beer in front of our computer when we should have been working instead. This cocktail has the popular Japanese lager Sapporo as its base, a crisp and well-carbonated brew that is typically paired with sushi. Here, the slight bitterness of the beer is tempered by tart berries and mandarin oranges.

Eddy was inspired by his Afghan mother-in-law's recipe for firni, traditionally a special-occasion milk pudding with pistachios and cardamom. The subtle rose flavors blend well in this only slightly sweet simple custard with green, red, and white colors. It can be made a day ahead and served at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Michael Laiskonis uses a little sugar and the gentle heat of a double boiler to draw out the berries' juices without cooking them, yielding a vibrant sweet soup.

You may never bake a cheesecake again; Laiskonis sets his super-light filling with gelatin instead of eggs and flavors it with a refreshing hit of citrus.

Want the fluffiest ice? Scrape the frozen mixture with a fork every 30 minutes to create smaller crystals.

"From the Lord Commander's own table," Bowen Marsh told them. There were salads of spinach and chickpeas and turnip greens, and afterwards bowls of iced blueberries and sweet cream. —A Game of Thrones Medieval Crème Bastard
This recipe produces an addictive cream sauce that is simple to make and not too sweet, complementing the natural sweetness of the berries. As a treat on the Wall, where Jon Snow makes his home, we thought it particularly fitting that the recipe is called Crème Bastard. Bastard is an early form of the word custard, and has no connection with one's parentage when used in a culinary context. Take þe whyte of Eyroun a grete hepe, & putte it on a panne ful of Mylke, & let yt boyle; þen sesyn it so with Salt an hony a lytel; þen lat hit kele, & draw it þorw a straynoure, an take fayre Cowe mylke an draw yt with-all, & seson it with Sugre... —Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books

The only trick to this fruit-flecked pie created by Sweet Rose Creamery in Santa Monica, CA, is making sure it gets 6 hours in the freezer to firm up.

Britton uses agave syrup to sweeten this nutty crust.

You can use any ripe berries to make this seasonal pitcher cocktail.

Stew fruit in parcels to infuse it with vanilla and bourbon, then serve it with a dollop of Greek yogurt (or ice cream).

Portland-based Salt & Straw adds a drop of vinegar and a hint of pepper to balance the sweetness in this strawberry shake, plus a splash of rum to make it deliciously complex in flavor. If you're making this for non-drinkers, just omit the booze.

Berries get a subtle herbal note from tea-infused whipped cream.

Simmer butter until its milk solids brown to unleash its nutty alter ego. Use it to bring deep flavor to baked goods, or as a sauce for fish or pasta.

This sublime lemon dessert is the perfect antidote to all those chocolate bunnies and chocolate-stuffed eggs proliferating at Easter like, well…rabbits. It helps that our pudding is simple to make, too.
A seriously tart lemon curd—quickly cooked on top of the stove—is folded into sweetened whipped cream, which both tempers the tang and lightens the dessert with a suave silkiness. Crisp, airy wisps of meringue, lightly sprinkled with chopped pistachios and easily shaped and baked into cigars, are delightful on their own, but they're surprisingly efficient alternatives to spoons for delivering the pudding to your mouth. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Easter. Menu also includes Frisée, Radicchio, and Fennel Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette; and Arugula-Stuffed Leg of Lamb with Roasted Spring Vegetables; .

Backyard garden strawberries are often smaller than store-bought, so be the judge of how many strawberries you need for the skewers. Or even simpler, grill strawberries on a grill rack until a bit charred and warmed through and spoon atop frozen yogurt or ice cream.