Strawberry

Yes—vinegar and berries: The mellow balsamic, sweet strawberries, and rich mascarpone come together beautifully.

"The strawberry cream cake recipe from "A Swedish Midsummer Party" in your June 1997 issue reminded me of a dessert my grandmother, who was of Swedish descent, used to make," says Jill M. Kuhn of Sherman Oaks, California. An electric carving knife makes slicing this dessert a breeze.

Rote Grütze "My husband and I always have the Rote Grütze at the Kempinski Hotel Atlantic when in Hamburg, Germany," says Mary Futchik of Naples, Florida. "Could you could help us get the recipe?" Consider this a cross between a spoonable pudding and a fruit soup.

Peppery arugula, sweet, ripe strawberries, and buttery hazelnuts create layers of contrasting flavor in this simple salad.

The flavors of this salad go well with honey-glazed grilled chicken or pork chops.

Nice with tea or coffee or as a light dessert.

A colorful combination of oranges, berries and kiwis teams up with crunchy biscotti for a delicious and wholesome finale.

We used a wire mesh cooling rack to form the decorative pattern on this pastry, but any metal cooling rack can be used. Also, if you have a small rack that cannot cover all the pastry at once, you will need to bake it in batches.

An easy substitute for the mascarpone, a soft Italian cream cheese, is 12 ounces cream cheese blended with six tablespoons whipping cream and 1/4 cup sour cream.

This recipe was created to accompany <epirecipelink id="14062">Frozen Lemon Mousses</epirecipelink>. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These layered desserts are a pure flight of fancy. Inspired by the Italian dish lasagna, they use a traditional Peruvian fruit and cheese combo and add the very French technique of brûléeing sugar to create a brittle caramel. Villaran tops them with a caramel crown for a dramatic presentation, but they are just as delicious with nothing more than a drizzle of strawberry sauce.

The failure-proof cookie-like crust can be prepared ahead. Use any leftover dough to make a few cookies.

Ninety-nine percent of cava—Spanish sparkling wine—is made in Catalonia. So it's natural that the bubbly beverage has found its way into many elegant Catalan desserts. Here it is combined with the luscious flavors and bright colors of strawberries and oranges in a refreshing sorbet.

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