Stone Fruit

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

I line the buttered pans with buttered wax paper, then flour them, to make unmolding the cakes easy after baking.

Serve this home-style treat with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

A quick, colorful and low-cal dessert. What else could you ask for?

Instead of using a pastry bag to pipe the meringue for the baskets, just snip a corner off a resealable plastic bag. Begin preparing this one day ahead.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from chef Neil Perry's book Rockpool. Neil also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. For your convenience, we've converted the measures — with as much accuracy as possible — from Australian to American. For those who have metric equipment and wish to follow Neil's recipe to the milliliter, we've included the original measures too. This dish is a blend of both Asian and Western techniques and flavours, and has been refined over a period of time. My objective was to end up with a layering of textures and flavours that built up from firm and sweet to soft and creamy. If there is one thing Eastern cooking has taught me, it is the balance and interplay of flavours from strong to subtle. This recipe also uses extra-virgin olive oil alongside tamarind, soy sauce and palm sugar to achieve a full-flavoured dressing that melds all parts of the composite salad together. When cooking Thai and Chinese food it is imperative not to use olive oil as it masks the authentic flavours, but once you understand the balance of these flavours you can start to blend with sympathy, and to create dishes that are in harmony with both their roots. The key to this salad is the same as for any composite salad; all the parts must be of the highest quality. The mangoes should be ripe but not overly sweet and soft. The chicken cannot be compromised, it must be fresh to achieve the right texture. Ensure that all the ingredients are at room temperature. It is ideal if all the preparation is done on the same day, but if that's impossible make sure you take everything out of the fridge well beforehand.

This dish is a perfect example of Villaran Novoandina ("New Andean") style of cooking. Ingredients native to Peru, such as escolar, aji, and tropical fruit, are combined in whimsical, creative ways. The presentation is very contemporary, yet the bright, satisfying contrast of crisp fish, sweet fruit, and spicy sauce is true to Peruvian flavors.

This refreshing and truly sparkling dessert adds glamour to any summer dinner. If you can't find Prosecco, use any fruity sparkling wine, such as Asti Spumante.

Although most bruschetta are savory, this sweet bruschetta is perfect for breakfast or dessert. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The tender nut crust and a vanilla bean syrup make these cheesecake-like tartlets extra special. Top with more nuts, if you like.

Tossing the peaches in lemon juice brightens their flavor.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

The griddled persimmon cakes we had with duck in Xi'an inspired this salad.

(Sweet Black Rice) Because Thais don't really have a dessert tradition, this simple black rice dish with coconut milk is most commonly eaten as a sweet snack or for breakfast — it also, however, makes a wonderful end to a meal. Recently available in North America, black glutinous rice is unpolished, so it is quite chewy, like brown rice. Thais make a more tender dish by combining the black rice with white sticky rice. As the rices soak together before steaming, the white rice takes on color from the black to become a beautiful dark purple.

Chewy crusts are filled with a sweet-tart lime curd and topped with sliced mangoes.

Here's a terrific twist on the classic fruit-and-shortcake theme.