Fruit Dessert

Here's an elegant and refreshing dish that features a wine syrup drizzled over grapefruit segments (skip the syrup on the kids' portions) and served in hollowed-out halves.

One of the traditions of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, includes pairing honey with apples, in the hope of sweetness in the coming year. The custom is to dip apple slices into honey. I decided to combine the apples and honey in one cake. The result is moist, subtly spiced, and deliciously sweet. I bake this in a round pan, symbolic of the hoped-for fullness in the new year. This cake can be served not only on Rosh Hashanah but over the course of the year as well.

"I've always loved to cook, and though at eighty-nine I'm slowing down, I still love it," writes Mary Gareffa of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. "My grandfather and my father were both cooks in a monastery in Reggio Calabria, Italy, before they moved to this country, and luckily for me, my father was my cooking teacher. These are time-tested recipes for some everyday dishes that I grew up with and later served to my own family." Pasta frolla, Italian sweet pastry dough, is the tender press-in crust for this easy tart.

Ground cardamom is a clever addition to the sugar in this simple recipe.

Raspberries replace the coffee flavor in a refreshing and fruity take on tiramisù. This simple recipe can be prepared a day ahead.

Ground almonds add a delicate nutty flavor to the crust. Begin making the filling a day before assembling the tart; once completed, it can be chilled another day before serving.

Purchased pineapple-coconut ice cream and mango and boysenberry sorbets make this dessert easy. The terrine needs to freeze overnight before serving.

Proof that strawberries aren't the only kind of fruit that's perfect with shortcakes.

The topping spreads as it bakes, forming a crisp cookie-like layer.

(Baked Sweet Cherry Pudding) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The classic dessert goes tropical in this luscious rendition featuring pineapple and coconut.

Seasonal pears are poached and then layered with a caramel whipped cream and pound cake to turn England's comforting trifle into a lovely fall dessert.

These thin pancakes resemble crêpes more than the thick apple pancakes served at '21' back in the thirties and forties. They are definitely more delicate than the traditional version, but the flavors of apples and walnuts still hark back to their heftier ancestors. Most of the components of this recipe may be made ahead of time and the dessert assembled just prior to serving.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A new take on a classic. For an exotic touch, sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger before serving.

This impressive frozen dessert has a crisp gingersnap crust, cool mango and lime sorbet filling, and refreshing fruit topping.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr