Berry

We admit we've never been big clafouti fans, but this recipe won us over. It's the lightest version of the dish we've ever had. In the fall and winter, innkeepers Bob and Caroline Taylor like to make this dessert with pears, flavoring it with powdered ginger.

Begin preparing this delicious dessert at least one day ahead.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A very pretty, fresh-tasting dessert that can be assembled a day ahead.

"My profession as a real estate agent requires a lot of my time," writes Edi Meadows Morrissette of Westin, Florida, "so it helps that I am lightning-fast in the kitchen. I cook every day, and on the weekends I sometimes make three meals a day. I accomplish that by following my main cooking principles: (1) do a lot of prep work, and (2) keep the kitchen well stocked. For example, at holiday time I might chop onions in advance or bake bread the day before company arrives. And since I converted the bedroom next to my kitchen into a pantry for extra storage, I know I'll always have the right ingredients at my fingertips." The addition of fresh orange pieces is a lovely variation on the holiday condiment. Begin two hours or up to three days ahead.

Nut pies can be very sweet — mixing in tart cranberries keeps everything in check.

Ruthie, Sara's chocolate-loving daughter, is a great fan of this recipe. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

"I’ve been cooking since I was twelve, and my husband, Bruce, picked it up during a "Mr. Mom" phase after our second daughter was born," writes Renee Davis of Cadiz, Ohio. "We have a great time coming up with recipes together. If he concocts a dish, I’ll taste-test it, and vice versa. Some of our best (and worst) dishes have been the result of enthusiastic experimentation. I used to serve fresh fruit with a cream-cheese-and-marshmallow dip as an easy dessert after big barbecue meals, but we improved on that by adding a cookie crust and ended up with an entirely new dish." Popular with kids and adults, this dessert pizza is incredibly easy to make. Top with your favorite summer fruit.

"Blue Moon in Dayton serves a fabulous goat cheese salad with a raspberry-poppy seed dressing," writes Susan M. Berry of Dayton, Ohio. "Would they share the recipe?"

This classic uncooked relish gets an aromatic edge from cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.

Active time: 40 minutes Start to finish: 6 hours(includes making dough and cooling pie)

Active time: 15 minutes Start to finish: 1 1/4 hour

"I've always loved to cook, and though at eighty-nine I'm slowing down, I still love it," writes Mary Gareffa of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. "My grandfather and my father were both cooks in a monastery in Reggio Calabria, Italy, before they moved to this country, and luckily for me, my father was my cooking teacher. These are time-tested recipes for some everyday dishes that I grew up with and later served to my own family." Pasta frolla, Italian sweet pastry dough, is the tender press-in crust for this easy tart.

Ground cardamom is a clever addition to the sugar in this simple recipe.

Don't worry — you won't need a giant oven for this king-size tart. It's made in 4 quadrants, baked one at a time. And because the recipe uses packaged puff pastry, it's fairly simple to prepare.

Raspberries replace the coffee flavor in a refreshing and fruity take on tiramisù. This simple recipe can be prepared a day ahead.

Ground almonds add a delicate nutty flavor to the crust. Begin making the filling a day before assembling the tart; once completed, it can be chilled another day before serving.

Purchased pineapple-coconut ice cream and mango and boysenberry sorbets make this dessert easy. The terrine needs to freeze overnight before serving.