Parfait

This pretty dessert calls for purchased macaroons; that's why it's so easy to prepare.

This recipe requires a little advance planning — the yogurt will need to drain for at least 8 hours.

A luscious caramel-lime sauce makes this dessert a real star.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

For the prettiest parfaits, look for the reddest rhubarb possible at the supermarket or farmers market.

Whipped cream, fresh lemons and sweet raspberries add homemade flavor to purchased lemon curd.

These parfaits (or budini — Italian for "puddings") of ultra-creamy mascarpone layered with Marsala-soaked strawberries perfectly illustrate the way of dessert in Italy: utterly simple, not too sweet, and delicious.

Offer cookies alongside this dessert.

These are also nice for breakfast. Just top them with nonfat vanilla yogurt instead of the frozen yogurt suggested in the recipe.

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 simplified version of the classic Italian dessert, this looks lovely served in parfait glasses for a change. The recipe features pound cake and cream cheese instead of the traditional (but harder-to-find) ladyfingers and mascarpone cheese.

Looks pretty and tastes great. If you can find fresh raspberries at this time of year, layer them with the other fruits.

Begin preparing this delicious dessert at least one day ahead.

Offer butter cookies alongside this pretty pink dessert.