Strawberry

An easy substitute for the mascarpone, a soft Italian cream cheese, is 12 ounces cream cheese blended with six tablespoons whipping cream and 1/4 cup sour cream.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

If you're in a last-minute rush for dessert, use purchased sorbet.

Grand Marnier and grated orange peel add a touch of elegance to this simple indulgence. Prepare the fondue just before serving, and keep it warm while dipping so that it will remain smooth. Use a traditional fondue pot, or place the pan of the fondue on an electric hot plate. Either way, be sure the heat is low; too much heat will cause the chocolate to burn. Angel food cake, pound cake and a variety of fresh and dried fruits make great accompaniments.

Serve these strawberries with vanilla bean ice cream, black pepper ice cream, or a spoonful of mascarpone, and with cookies such as biscotti or spicy sugar cookies alongside.

An elegant tart with a cookie-like crust.

Pastel des Tres Leches con Rompope This special-occasion cake from the state of Sinaloa is spiked with rompope, a rich Mexican eggnog liqueur. It is heated with the tres leches until the mixture is reduced to a syrup that is poured over the hot cake.

An easy press-in crust of ground graham crackers and toasted almonds is topped with a fresh strawberry filling and whipped cream. Chill the pie at least two hours before serving.

This tart was inspired by a plum tart often cooked by the mother of Lisa's college roommate. Due to Lisa's reckless dissemination of that recipe (which caused an overpopulation of plum tarts up and down the eastern seaboard), her recipe-exchange privileges with said mother have been revoked.

This compote makes a lovely (and low-fat) dessert on its own, but the addition of ice cream and won ton strips makes it something special.

When he was the chef at the Carlton Hotel in London, Escoffier created Strawberries Americaine Style — strawberries in orange liqueur, blended into whipped cream and softened ice cream. Little did he know that it would one day be the star dessert of every posh dining spot in California. "Prince" Mike Romanoff "borrowed" the recipe and gave it a new moniker. Soon it was the hottest item on the West Coast. The L.A. Biltmore called it "Strawberries Biltmore." The Palace Hotel in San Francisco served it with anisette and maraschino.

Start making this at least one day ahead.

These layered desserts are a pure flight of fancy. Inspired by the Italian dish lasagna, they use a traditional Peruvian fruit and cheese combo and add the very French technique of brûléeing sugar to create a brittle caramel. Villaran tops them with a caramel crown for a dramatic presentation, but they are just as delicious with nothing more than a drizzle of strawberry sauce.