Strawberry

Fresh fruit marinated in Scotch and sugar is a lovely topper for the purchased cake.

In this recipe, the elderflower concentrate gives the ice cream a delicate, fruity flavor, but 1 teaspoon vanilla stirred into 1/4 cup additional milk makes a delicious substitute.

The coconut tuiles (cookies) that go into this layered dessert (left) are delicate, so the recipe provides for quite a few extras to allow for breakage. Tuiles are also terrific with ice cream. The syrup gets an interesting (and delicious) kick from nontraditional dessert ingredients like black peppercorns and a jalapeño chili.

In a fresh interpretation of the classic Italian dessert, we've replaced the traditional chocolate and coffee with berries and fruit liqueur. For a garnish, we like the looks of fresh berries, but we used frozen berries in the filling to keep it moist. They're also more uniform in flavor--and less expensive.

Crème fraîche gives this exceptional ice cream irresistible tang and a silky texture.

This pretty dessert calls for purchased macaroons; that's why it's so easy to prepare.

The sorbet can be processed in an ice cream maker or simply frozen in a shallow container (a 13x9-inch metal or glass baking pan works best).

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's another old-fashioned dessert that's on the come back trail.

A beautiful and elegant dessert that has lots of great berry flavor.

Cardamom adds a lovely accent to the compote and the filling, which is made with soft farmer cheese for creamy texture.

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

Rote Grütze "My husband and I always have the Rote Grütze at the Kempinski Hotel Atlantic when in Hamburg, Germany," says Mary Futchik of Naples, Florida. "Could you could help us get the recipe?" Consider this a cross between a spoonable pudding and a fruit soup.

Pudding is a term that is used interchangeably with dessert in Ireland, so not all Irish puddings are the milk-based treats Americans think of when they hear the word. Here's a fine example: a pretty dessert of bread and assorted sweetened berries are in season, but many people want to eat this delicious pudding even when fresh berries aren't available. Fortunately, frozen ones work just as well. Begin preparing this a day before serving so that it can set up overnight.