Mango

These nifty combinations of finely diced fruit and all-fruit preserves create nearly instant sauces. Each combination makes enough for four to six 1/3- to 1/2-cup servings as a topping.

When I was growing up, my mom would cut up fresh fruit and arrange it on a plate with a shot glass full of toothpicks. She would also toss fresh fruit with some orange or lime juice and sugar. Taking inspiration from her, I came up with my own version: lime, lemon, a little maple syrup, and an herb syrup with rosemary or mint.
Cut your fruit into chunks rather than into small pieces; I find that small pieces of fruit get mealy and mushy. Make the salad the morning you're going to serve it, but if you're determined to make it the night before, cut up the fruit, store it in separate containers, and then toss it together in the morning. Use whatever fruit you'd like (bananas, apples, berries—the possibilities are endless), but unless you're using the ripest, sweetest seasonal fruit, add a little sugar.

Stirring homemade chutney (left over from Country Pâté with Pineapple Chutney) into softened cream cheese makes an easy and irresistibly bright spread. A topping of crunchy curried walnuts gilds the lily and also plays up the chutney's cheery color.

The mango-pineapple chutney is a delicious condiment for these exotic potato cakes, which would be great with poached eggs for brunch.

Wrap the piloncillo, Mexican brown sugar cones, in a kitchen towel and crush with a hammer to fine crumbs. If you can't find piloncillo, feel free to substitute packed dark brown sugar. Because coconut milk is not a dairy product, this delicious dessert is pareve.

This salad is a wonderful mix of flavors and textures. Serve it with warm flatbread, such as naan. Make a simply beautiful dessert by tossing together chopped honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon.

This salad is delicious served immediately at room temperature. It's even better after being chilled for an hour to combine the flavors.

In this impressive main course, sautéed scallops and shrimp are paired with a vibrant sweet-savory salsa. Serve the seafood and the side dishes with warm corn or flour tortillas.

There's no oil in this easy main course and, if you'd like to make it even healthier, low-fat or nonfat yogurt can be used instead of the whole-milk variety. Round out the meal with dal (Indian-style lentils) or some sautéed spinach. The yogurt marinade is also great for chicken.

This cake is light as air— and infused with flavor, thanks to a little grated orange peel. A deep, dark caramel sauce and a stunning fruit compote make the dessert dinner-party-worthy. Be sure not to use a pan with a nonstick coating. Because this cake is cooled upside down in the pan, you want the cake to stick to the sides a bit.

Folding fruit into guacamole is an inspired tradition in Mexican cooking. Tropical mangoes are a natural pairing, their silky flesh adding a subtle tartness to creamy avocado. To herald the holiday season, pomegranate seeds flash bright red against the guacamole's cilantro-flecked green. Head over here for our guide to how to cut a pomegranate.

This fresh chutney combines pineapple with a recent Parisian obsession—mangoes—for a vibrant counterpoint to rich pâté.

This comes off as a classic panna cotta, but agar—a thickener made from seaweed—gives it a light mouthfeel; it dissolves on the tongue almost instantly. Slices of mango in citrus syrup enliven the flavors.

Shrimp get a wake-up call from a bold spice paste that really packs a punch. A brief 30-minute swim in the marinade imbues the shrimp with intense flavor—jalapeño, ginger, and garlic lend heat, while garam masala contributes depth. Sparkle comes from a splash of lime juice. Think of the mango chutney as a fresh Indian salsa; it's crunchy, colorful, tart, and very refreshing.

A quick buzz in the blender and this creamy, fruity dessert is practically done. Just add juicy summer blueberries and a sprinkling of lime zest and you've got a beautiful finish you'll return to again and again.

A dish that may help prevent cancer, from Chan Le at Le Colonial in Chicago.