Fruit Dessert

Serve this quick treat with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

This beautiful torte can be prepared three days before serving.

A finale that is great on its own or served with some whipped cream that has been accented with brown sugar.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 hr (includes cooling)

The frozen berries aren't thawed before you use them, so this dessert is super fast.

"My grandmother was a reporter in New York before she got married and moved to Montana to start a new life on a ranch," writes Joyce Litz of Albuquerque, New Mexico. "At the time she didn't know how to cook, and learning wasn't easy — the place didn't even have running water. Still, she appreciated good food, so she persevered and became a great cook. Later my grandmother taught me ranch-style cooking, a lot of which involved getting simple but flavorful, hearty meals ready in a hurry." Boost the payoff with a scoop of ice cream.

Use firm, dense apples such as Granny Smith, Fuji, or Pippin, which will hold their shape when cooked. Fresh ginger gives this sauce its gentle bite—don’t substitute the ground kind.

Nancy Pellini Morrow of Haddonfield, New Jersey, writes: "My friend and I had a wonderful meal at Canyon Southwest Cafe in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Everything we ate was top-notch, but the best part was the cheesecake with mixed-berry sauce we had for dessert."

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.