Triple Sec

Freezing the watermelon and strawberries before mixing the drink eliminates the need for ice  — and allows the fruit flavors to retain their full intensity.

Made with reduced-fat cream cheese and light sour cream, this cheesecake is irresistible — just like its namesake cocktail.

Fools are traditionally prepared with pureed fruit mixed with whipped cream, or egg custard, or a combination of the two. (The term fool probably comes from the French fouler, meaning "to crush.") They seem to be especially successful when made with sharply flavored garden produce like rhubarb, gooseberries, and black currants, which still have enough bite to be interesting when blended with cream. But strawberries, which are much easier to find, also work quite nicely. Strawberry fool is best when the fruit is mashed rather than pureed, resulting in a more appealing texture. Serve it with cookies.

This recipe was created to accompany Chocolate Strawberry Orance Wedding Cake .

Fresh blackberries are plentiful in July and August, but since we must use frozen in the winter, be sure they're individually quick-frozen (available in plastic bags in the supermarket). Don't use berries packed in syrup.

At Valentino, pastry chef Michelle Robie cuts the cake into individual heart shapes and sometimes serves them with a blood orange sauce.

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

Dark chocolate never goes out of fashion, but white chocolate was all the rage in the eighties. Foodies couldn't get enough, enjoying it in truffles, tarts and sumptuous ivory-colored mousses like this one.