Fruit Dessert

Washington pears and California raisins complement each other deliciously. This is perfect with vanilla ice cream.

Cooking rhubarb to the right consistency is trickier than you might think — it changes from barely tender to falling apart in a matter of seconds. Watch it carefully while it's poaching. In this recipe you’ll need to boil the rhubarb syrup to the "soft-ball stage." To determine this, just drop a small amount of syrup into a cup of cold water. If you can form it into a sticky lump that flattens when pressed, it has reached the right consistency. This technique is especially useful with small amounts of syrup, from which it can be difficult to obtain an accurate temperature reading with a thermometer.

This is a refreshing and fast adults-only dessert for any summer meal. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

This classically simple milliard is similar to a clafouti - both desserts are a cross between a cake and a custard and are about as thick as a thin cake layer.

Filled with raisins and brown sugar and baked in Marsala and cider, these apples make a warming ending to the meal. Accompany them with vanilla ice cream and some purchased almond biscotti.

Great with the blintzes or ice cream. This recipe originally accompanied Cheese Blintzes with Carmelized Apples.

Nice with tea or coffee or as a light dessert.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Blueberries top a creamy light mousse in this terrific dessert. It can be made a day ahead, then garnished with the white chocolate shavings before serving.

This fruit keeps for several days in the refrigerator and is delicious for breakfast, too. Any dried fruit works well.

To allow enough time for the soufflés to freeze, make them at least one day before serving.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but may require additional sitting time.

There are many varieties of mango grown on the African continent — comparatively, the selection of fresh mangoes here in the United States is limited. For this recipe, we recommend using canned slices of Alphonso mango, an Indian cultivar renowned for its bright orange flesh and very intense flavor.

Serve the oranges alone or alongside a wedge of angel food cake or pound cake.