Strawberry

There's no easier dessert than fresh fruit. But for something a little more spirited, we topped it with some store-bought lemon curd lightened with yogurt and flavored with crème de cassis. This simple dessert is a snap to prepare.

The coconut tuiles (cookies) that go into this layered dessert (left) are delicate, so the recipe provides for quite a few extras to allow for breakage. Tuiles are also terrific with ice cream. The syrup gets an interesting (and delicious) kick from nontraditional dessert ingredients like black peppercorns and a jalapeño chili.

A sophisticated dessert that comes together easily because the pastry, cream and sauce can be prepared ahead of time. Serve the leftover cream filling like a pudding, and top it with fresh fruit.

This simple, delicious treat is excellent spread over scones or toast and comes together in practically no time at all.

This refreshing mint syrup can flavor any combination of fresh fruits. Leftover syrup is great for sweetening iced tea.

This cake was first made in the north of England by young women for their fiancés. It's usually just layered with whipped cream and strawberries, but in this recipe the cake is spread with a berry and rhubarb compote for extra moistness. If your guests don't eat all of this, serve it with tea the next day.

This cake, also called fraisier (French for "strawberry plant"), is usually made with almonds, but pistachios are used in this rendition. The delicate cake is layered with fresh strawberries and a mousselike white chocolate buttercream and then topped with marzipan.

It's so easy to make these processor-quick biscuits ahead if you like. Then reheat, split and fill them with ice cream and berries just before serving.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An easy side dish for ham or chicken. The dressing can be made a day ahead.

A light-textured baked apricot meringue.

Crushed berries and cream over ice — of all the frappés, this is my favorite.

(FRAGOLE ED UVE CON MENTA E VINIGLIA) This colorful salad is accented with mint, a favorite ingredient in native cooking.

Few desserts are as comforting or satisfying as a simple egg custard. Here we've dressed things up a bit with some extra spice and a fruit compote.