Mango

The business card from Tante Louise reads: "A very special restaurant"—and it truly is. This romantic spot has been going strong for 27 years. Owner Corbin Douglass is known for fulfilling all sorts of requests, from ensuring that guests are seated at their favorite table in front of the fireplace to presenting an engagement ring on the dessert cart. Chef Duy Pham changes the contemporary French menu seasonally. The following dish was inspired by roast Peking duck, a Sunday tradition in Pham's family.

Check the supermarket produce section for fresh peeled and sliced mangoes. You'll need about four cups of diced mangoes.

Wonton wrappers are used for these samosas instead of traditional pastry dough. Betelnut Pejiu Wu in San Francisco serves them with a tropical chutney.

A lovely salad in which the citrus fruit strikes a nice balance with the fish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The contrasting colors of mango and boysenberry are lovely. If you like, serve the sorbets in frozen "mango boats," made by scooping out the centers of halved mangoes and freezing the shells.

Colorful boysenberry and mango sorbets team up in a refreshing, guilt-free alterative to traditional ice cream sundaes.

Great with grilled chicken, tuna, salmon, swordfish or shrimp.

At the Princeville Hotel on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, a mixture of dried and fresh fruits is used to fill the pork. Begin preparing this dish one day before serving.

Here's proof that an elegant dessert does not have to take hours to make. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Try the sauce with grilled fish or chicken, too. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This refreshing dessert comes from Lincoln Carson, pastry chef at the Highlands Inn in Carmel Highlands, California. It has a lovely rich texture, even though it has no eggs.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Begin preparing this lovely dessert at least five hours before serving.

Be sure to use extra-ripe mangoes when preparing this rich, creamy dessert.

Pecan-studded rice pilaf and sautéed pattypan squash are great with the scallops, and lemon pound cake with sugared berries tops off the meal nicely.

Use this exotic curd as a filling for the Mango-Banana Cake or for mini tartlets.