Fruit Dessert

Tuscan sweets tend to be simple and rustic, like this deliciously buttery, moist cake, similar in texture to marzipan. What to drink: Tuscany's famous Vin Santo, a dessert wine made from raisined grapes.

Broiled pineapple is teamed with an easy-to-make ice cream and topped with toasted coconut for a tropical treat. The pineapple would also be good with purchased mango or coconut sorbet or with vanilla ice cream.

Crumbled amaretti add great crunch and nice almond flavor to this layered dessert.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

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.

A traditional French cake, the financier is usually made from ground almonds blended with butter and egg whites. Individual rectangular financiers are popular in France's pastry shop.

Serve the crisp warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.

Maple syrup is one of New England's unique gifts to the culinary world. The natural sweetener is a wonderful complement to all kinds of ingredients but is especially good when teamed with pears, which are plentiful in fall. Here they're partnered in a cobbler, an old-fashioned dessert of fruit baked with a biscuit topping. Make sure to pass whipped cream flavored with the delicate syrup.

Apple orchards of all kinds can be found throughout the middle of the United States. Interestingly, Red Delicious apples are a heartland original, first discovered in 1872 in Peru, Iowa. They are celebrated here (with their sweeter yellow cousin, the Golden Delicious) in a double-crust pie that's truly a "Delicious" closing to the Thanksgiving feast.

Using orange juice instead of water in the crust enhances the fruit flavors in the filling. To prevent the dough from sticking, lightly flour the work surface and the dough, sprinkling with more flour as needed; also, roll just to the edges of the dough, not over them, rotating the dough often.

Honey and dried currants add sweetness.

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

This is a dessert version of classic fried savory ravioli, dressed up with custard sauce.