Sundae

Vanilla ice cream is decked out for the holidays with orange liqueur and purchased almond lace cookies. Look for Florentine cookies at bakeries and some supermarkets.

Be sure to clean the grill rack thoroughly with a metal brush to remove any bits of grilled food that might impart an off flavor to the cake. Reheat the cake on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven before serving.

Caramel ice cream, chocolate chip "blondies," and a crunchy streusel sweeten the deal.

Shari Ledwidge of Greenehaven, Arizona, writes: "My husband and I spend several weeks each year traveling around the United States. Our journeys always take us to wonderful food stands and farmers' markets, which have inspired some of my favorite recipes."

The sweet, creamy pulp of ripe Hachiya persimmons shines in a luscious dessert.

What could be more basic than an ice cream sundae? Our version has a luscious chocolate-caramel sauce spiked with bourbon and studded with macadamia nuts.

Cardamom and nutmeg are lovely notes of spice in these super sundaes. Caramel ice cream would be good here, too.

You'll need a candy thermometer to monitor the fudge sauce and the marshmallows.

Here is a delicious interpretation of a campfire classic.

"By adding a little espresso powder to a recipe for caramel sauce, I created an ice cream topping that has made this sundae the signature dessert in my house I had always refused to share the recipe with friends who requested it, but I finally decided that it's too good to keep secret," says Gordon Finley of Durham, North Carolina. These are terrific made with coffee or vanilla ice cream — or both.

Scoops of purchased chocolate, vanilla, and coffee ice creams are topped with three different do-ahead sauces.

Thick hot fudge sauce spiked with raspberry brandy covers scoops of vanilla ice cream — or any other favorite flavor. The sauce thickens further when it hits the cold ice cream, creating a dessert reminiscent of the one served in old-fashioned ice cream parlors.

From Charleston Grill, Charleston, South Carolina.

During World War II, chocolate was too valuable to be used for baking. As a result, brownies, which had been a favorite since around the turn of the century, were made less often. With the return to prosperity in the 1950s, this much-loved dessert came back into vogue--and became more popular than ever. Our rich and dense brownies are studded with peanuts and chocolate chips, and are partnered with a rich milk chocolate and peanut butter sauce. They're terrific served with vanilla ice cream, peanut butter-vanilla swirl or peanut butter ice cream. Serve the brownies slightly warm or at room temperature.

Strawberries, blueberries, nectarines and vanilla ice cream team up in a quick sundae.

A modern version of a childhood favorite.