Parfait

A luscious caramel-lime sauce makes this dessert a real star.

Parfait is the French word for "perfect," and these elegant little treats live up to the billing. Served straight from the freezer, their texture is similar to ice cream's, but they take on a mousselike consistency when thawed for a minute or two on the plate.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

For the prettiest parfaits, look for the reddest rhubarb possible at the supermarket or farmers market.

Though we used parfait glasses for this pudding to show off the layers, at the restaurant Stitt serves it in large coffee cups with saucers and spoons. The whipped cream topping looks like the foam on a cappuccino — hence its name.

Here's a sophisticated combination of homemade blackberry gelatin layered with vanilla cream. Make the gelatin at least one day ahead so that it has time to set.

This recipe requires a little advance planning — the yogurt will need to drain for at least 8 hours.

Chocolate or coffee ice cream is also nice in this Italian-style dessert.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Dolce all'Amaretto Though this is nothing like the Treviso-born tiramisù popularized across the world, we've christened it with the same name because it's just as much a "pick-me-up." The hazelnut cookies soak up the sweet vermouth and are layered with the creamy, whipped mascarpone. Since no cooking is necessary, it is perfect for summer entertaining.

Candida Sportiello writes: "As owner and chef of Il Giardino restaurant, on the tiny island of Ventotene off the coast of Naples, I've been cooking professionally for twenty-five years — but I've been cooking for pleasure for a good fifty years. As is the Italian way, most of my favorite recipes were handed down from my mother and grandmother, so they date from the early 1900s." This rich dessert is called a semifreddo ("half frozen") in Italian.

Key lime pie, with its tangy custard filling and pastry crust, was popular in the Florida Keys at the turn of the century. The pie eventually evolved to include the graham-cracker-crumb crusts created in the thirties. We’ve layered all the components in wine goblets.

This pretty dessert calls for purchased macaroons; that's why it's so easy to prepare.

The parfaits can be made a day ahead.

An almond-scented pudding layered with blackberries and blackberry preserves makes a nice finale.