Sorbet

This tart sorbet is great on its own as a palate cleanser, but it tastes even better when paired with store-bought vanilla ice cream. Whichever kind of grapefruit you use—pink, white, ruby red, or yellow—the hibiscus ensures a lovely deep-pink color. If you don't have an ice cream maker, turn the sorbet into a granita by freezing it in a 9x9x2" metal pan and mashing any big chunks with a fork after 1 hour. Freeze for 1 hour more, then scrape until it's as flaky as shaved ice.

A frosty glass of refreshing iced tea is the inspiration for this sorbet. Iced tea flavored with peaches has nearly outpaced tea with lemon in recent years. Bottles of tasty peach tea are available in most stores, but you can also brew your own with peach tea bags. If you use bottled tea in this recipe, make sure it isn't diet. This sorbet is a good way to use peaches so dead-ripe that they cannot be eaten whole or sliced because any small brown soft spots disappear into the tea. The vodka improves the texture of the sorbet, as does the corn syrup. Use tea-flavored vodka if you have it, although plain vodka works fine. Pouring a splash of the sweet tea vodka or bourbon over the soft sorbet makes an excellent slushy for grown-ups.

We modeled this simple frozen dessert on a favorite paleta, or Mexican ice pop. You won't need an ice cream maker, but do plan ahead so that you have time to purée the ice in a processor three separate times for the smoothest texture.

Add any leftover grape puree to a glass of sparkling water or to a quick pan sauce for chicken or duck breast.

Surprise your friends with a hint of heat in their dessert. The flavor of the Sriracha comes through gently, with the spice balanced by the delicate sweet perfume of ripe peaches. To really gild the lily, serve a scoop with fresh berries and top with a handful of crushed gingersnaps and fresh sprigs of mint.

If you don't believe the saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, this simple yet incredibly good sorbet is proof positive that it can be true. This is my all-time favorite sorbet.

Ciao Bella has made this classic Italian flavor since the beginning, and it's the favorite of our president, Charlie Apt. Campari, invented in the 1860s by Gaspare Campari, is an alcoholic beverage made with a secret mixture of herbs and bark that gives it its characteristic bitter edge. Here that bitterness is intensified by the sharpness of the grapefruit, which makes this the quintessential palate cleanser; if you want to serve it as a dessert, increase the sugar to 2 cups. Campari's distinctive red color lends a beautiful gentle pink tone to the sorbetto. For a nonalcoholic grapefruit sorbetto, simply omit the Campari.

If you don't believe the saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, this simple yet incredibly good sorbet is proof positive that it can be true. This is my all-time favorite sorbet.

Your standard celebration staple—guacamole, salsa and chips—deserves a cool upgrade. The classic ingredient combo isn't only yummy, it's also good for you. The healthy monounsaturated fats in avocados help you absorb more cancer-fighting carotenoids from the tomatoes.

I adore lychee juice, which tastes very much like the fresh fruit. You can buy aseptic packages of the juice in Asian markets, and I've seen them in many supermarkets. This sorbet is not only delicious, it's fun.

This light, pretty dessert can be made up to three days ahead.

Fresh ginger amps up the flavor of the sorbet.

Here's a clean, bright dessert that makes a great finish to any meal and can be prepared days ahead. Plus, who knew that mellow vanilla would go so beautifully with tangy cranberries?

Although uva means "grape" in Italian, Concords are native to North America. A velvety sorbet brings out their inky, foxy intensity. It will, in fact, swing you right into autumn.

Nearly all of chef Kyle Caporicci's sweets come with their very own ice cream pairings: carrot cake with root beer ice cream; mango-kiwi cheesecake with mint. And in the case of this exotic fruit salad, the topping is a refreshing sake granita and pear sorbet.

As the main ingredient in a sorbet, kiwifruit becomes the belle of the ball.

The combination of condensed milk and lime gives this dessert a bit of tropical flair.