Frozen Dessert

Start this at least one day before serving.

Cloves add a little extra holiday flavor.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Ted Allen's The Food You Want to Eat. This recipe can be doubled, using a 9x13-inch baking dish. Cooking time may need to be adjusted slightly. For Allen's tips on throwing a Thanksgiving party, click here. These brownies are made to live under a blob of vanilla; as such, they're intentionally cakey, buttery, and not too sweet. This can be made ahead, and the brownies reheated for 30 to 60 seconds in your microwave; the sauce reheats perfectly over low heat.

This super-easy, no-cook dessert tastes like the ultimate Creamsicle.

Until you've tried this dessert, you may not have tasted a pear's multiple personalities.

Natilla is the Cuban answer to a French pot de crème. Here, an icy coffee granita tops the pudding for a cool contrast. (The puddings need to chill overnight and the granita needs freezing time, so be sure to start a day before serving.)

The pomegranate is a fall and winter fruit, so this gelato is appropriate for the season. Refreshing without being heavy, it has a beautiful blush-pink color, and the tanginess of the fruit cuts the richness of the dairy. The result is an irresistible autumnal dessert you won't soon forget.

**Editor's note:**This recipe is reprinted from Rose Hammick's and Charlotte Packer's book Great Parties for Kids. For Hammick's and Packer's tips on throwing a kids' summer party, click here. Kids love Popsicles, and when made from fruit and yogurt, they are healthy as well as delicious. Popsicle molds are available from kitchen or department stores. If you're short of time, you can also make popsicles from ready-made smoothies.

Buy baklava at Middle Eastern markets or order from parthenonfoods.com. Start making the granita a day ahead.

You don't have to feel guilty about giving these to the kids— they're made with real fruit syrup and are bursting with sweet berry flavor.

This mildly spiked dessert is so easy to put together, it will quickly become one of your summer-entertaining standbys.

Cassis, also known as black currant, has a deep, velvety, ripe-berry flavor, along with a slight sourness; this sorbet plays up those qualities. We use bottled nectar, but if you find fresh black currants, you can certainly make your own (see cooks' note, below).