Strawberry

This recipe is an accompaniment for Vanilla-Citrus Tea Ring . Any remaining compote would be great for breakfast or dessert with a spoonful of yogurt or crème fraîche.

"I literally didn't know how to boil an egg until I was in my 20's — when I tried to impress a guy by making dinner for him," writes Sally Siegel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "I didn't have much success with the dinner or the guy, but I regrouped and put together a repertoire of fairly elegant dishes I felt confident making. Over the years, my cooking style has become more casual; I make dishes that are not too demanding, but still special for company."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Strawberries and rhubarb are just two of the many flavorful produce varieties grown in this region. During fall and winter, the frozen versions stand up surprisingly well, especially in dishes like this compote, which we serve over ice cream or frozen yogurt for dessert or plain breakfast.

Fools are traditionally prepared with pureed fruit mixed with whipped cream, or egg custard, or a combination of the two. (The term fool probably comes from the French fouler, meaning "to crush.") They seem to be especially successful when made with sharply flavored garden produce like rhubarb, gooseberries, and black currants, which still have enough bite to be interesting when blended with cream. But strawberries, which are much easier to find, also work quite nicely. Strawberry fool is best when the fruit is mashed rather than pureed, resulting in a more appealing texture. Serve it with cookies.

If you don't feel like making your own vanilla ice cream for these red, white and blue sundaes, simply pick up a premium brand at the supermarket.

Light cookies are filled with dessert-wine ice cream and fruit. The recipe makes about six cookies, so there's an allowance for breakage or extras for nibbling.

(Pistachio Wafers Layered with Strawberries and Cream)

In a fresh interpretation of the classic Italian dessert, we've replaced the traditional chocolate and coffee with berries and fruit liqueur. For a garnish, we like the looks of fresh berries, but we used frozen berries in the filling to keep it moist. They're also more uniform in flavor--and less expensive.

The fresh berries at the open-air markets of Nice inspired this simple recipe. The wide surface of a large skillet reduces the cooking time, which helps keep the fruit flavor at its peak.

Any leftover compote is great served over vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Serve this dense, moist cake with a big bowl of lightly sweetened strawberries.