Rhubarb

This jam has a good, concentrated flavor: The only liquid comes from the rhubarb and berries interacting with sugar and lemon juice. The quick-to-prepare jam also makes a nice filling for tarts.

The cornmeal biscuit topping adds some crunch to the winning combination of fresh strawberries and rhubarb.

The sweet yet tangy chutney lends an exotic flavor to grilled pork — or chicken or salmon. The dark brown sugar stands up to the other intense ingredients.

"While in Vancouver, we had a wonderful meal at Diva at the Met. The star of the show was the Stilton cheesecake. Could you persuade the chef to part with the recipe?" asks Mark Horne of Laurel, Mississippi. Editors' note: Pairing Stilton and rhubarb may sound like a joke, but we had to try it. It turns out that the joke's on us — the combination is terrific. Chef Michael Noble caramelizes the top with a blowtorch, but we think the cheesecake is also delicious without the crackly crust.

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.

This recipe was created to accompany Strawberry-Rhubarb "Courting" Cake.

Millefoglie con Crema alla Grappa e Rabarbaro Millefoglie is the Italian version of the French pastry mille-feuille (meaning "thousand leaves"), which is then layered with fruit and cream, napoleon-style. We like Julia brand grappa best for this particular recipe — it's slightly sweeter and has a more well-rounded flavor than other grappas we've tasted. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

For an elegant touch, serve the cobbler in oversize goblets and top with ice cream.

Orange juice and pomegranate juice enhance the light sorbet. The compote would also be good over store-bought strawberry sorbet or ice cream.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These bright cheesecake bars feature spring’s favorite flavor duo and a Triscuit cracker crust.

Sweet and creamy meets crunchy and tart.

Think of your favorite granola packed full of nuts and surrounding a layer of sweet-tart rhubarb jam and you’ve got these bars. 

Galettes were invented to make amateur bakers feel like pros.

Vodka in the dough hydrates the flour without developing gluten, which makes for an especially pliable dough and tender crust.

Fregola, a small, toasted Sardinian pasta, is classic with clams, and cockles make a great sub for Italy’s tiny vongole veraci.

This simple process works for practically any fruit; gauge how much sugar to use based on the fruit’s sweetness, and try cardamom or ginger in place of cinnamon.