Peach

The addition of fresh fruit gives these irresistible sundaes seasonal appeal. The rich creamy sauce is a do-ahead.

This fruit ice is flavored with cinnamon and allspice. It is garnished with slices of peach, nectarine and plum; other seasonal fruit would work, too. Follow with iced espresso.

Terrific with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt.

(Sweet Black Rice) Because Thais don't really have a dessert tradition, this simple black rice dish with coconut milk is most commonly eaten as a sweet snack or for breakfast — it also, however, makes a wonderful end to a meal. Recently available in North America, black glutinous rice is unpolished, so it is quite chewy, like brown rice. Thais make a more tender dish by combining the black rice with white sticky rice. As the rices soak together before steaming, the white rice takes on color from the black to become a beautiful dark purple.

A creamy fruit filling goes between split Cardamom Biscuits for a beautiful dessert.

To allow enough time for the soufflés to freeze, make them at least one day before serving.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A quick and easy breakfast treat.

I once heard that the heir to an amaretti factory fortune was kidnapped for ransom. In my imagination I pictured him leaving a trail of amaretti crumbs in the forest to lead the authorities to his rescue. I can't guarantee that this strategy will work if you're kidnapped, but if you leave a trail of crumbs that leads to this crisp, you can be certain a crisp search-and-rescue party will follow.

Purchased puff pastry makes the flaky crust super-easy, while using a nonstick cake pan makes the tarte a cinch to remove.

The streusel topping adds nice crunch.

Active time: 30 minutes Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours

Yellow or white peaches work equally well.

Carey Paquette of Arlington, Virginia, writes: "When it comes to cooking, I make an effort to prepare healthful meals, but wouldn't call myself a fanatic. I believe that olive oil goes in everything and wine goes with everything; I just use them in moderation. My boyfriend and I cook almost every night as a way to unwind. It's nice to come home after a hectic day and make dinner together rather than pull something prepackaged out of the freezer."

Here's a recipe to have some fun with. Shortcakes are typically small and individually sized, but this is an impressive large cake filled with sweetened fresh fruit and whipped mascarpone. And unlike most shortcakes, this one is assembled ahead of time.

The nutty, crunchy topping makes a nice contrast to the juicy peach filling.

The mixture of fruit in this dessert, a long-standing menu item at The Marx Bros. Cafe in Anchorage, might include anything from wild Alaskan blueberries to apples, depending on the time of year.

Tossing the peaches in lemon juice brightens their flavor.