Stone Fruit

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional sitting time.

This recipe originally accompanied Chocolate Napoleons with Mascarpone Cream and Cherry Compote .

A buttery free-form crust joins forces with a lucious fruit filling to make the perfect seasonal dessert. Just add vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Simply omit the ginger for a classic crème brûlée. A small blowtorch (made for the kitchen) is a useful gadget for caramelizing the sugar topping. You can also broil the custards until the sugar turns dark brown.

Purchased puff pastry makes the flaky crust super-easy, while using a nonstick cake pan makes the tarte a cinch to remove.

Serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

I have written about my favorite cake recipe — the Tre, Tre, Tre Cake — for Epicurious. Recently, with a rather empty larder and company coming for dinner, I played around with that recipe and came up with this delicious dessert, which I named Anarchy Cake, because with recipes, as with so many things, Italians are basically anarchists.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Serve with: Romaine salad with creamy Italian dressing, and steamed Broccolini. Dessert: Lemon gelato topped with sliced figs and Marsala.

A sweet-and-hot glaze dresses up purchased breakfast links. If you prefer extra spice, use the sausages labeled "hot and sweet links."

In Tucson, chef-owner Janos Wilder offers cumin-flavored rice pilaf and grilled zucchini with the fish. Flan is a good finale.

Soba noodles can be found in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets.

Bean thread noodles (also known as cellophane noodles) come in varying widths. For this recipe we like the wider (1/4-inch) noodles.

Faye Gardner, Haleyville, Ala.
"I perfected a sister-in-law's cookie and have been baking them every Christmas since 1969."

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

(Tarte Renversée Caramélisée aux Abricots) This terrific dessert is similar to a classic apple-based tarte Tatin.

This New York-style cheesecake — with a hidden layer of sweet peach compote — is an ideal do-ahead dessert. It also travels well: Just glaze the cake in its pan and chill. When ready to serve, release the sides, then top the cake with fresh peach slices. Begin preparing this at least one day in advance.