Fruit Dessert

The fruit juices blend with the sugar, spices, and orange-flower water to create a lovely syrup. What to drink: Orange Muscat wines (such as Essencia) would be perfect with this.

Plum fans take note: The jam recipe here is a stand-alone bonus, especially if that tree in the garden is overloaded. (You can triple the jam recipe below for a yield of two generous cups and store it in the refrigerator for up to one week.) Pastry novices should also note that this is one napoleon that holds together beautifully when sliced — so go for it.

A brandied custard filling makes a wonderful backdrop for ripe apricots.

A lovely combination of apricots and cherries tops a tender crust in this great summertime treat. Serve it with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

This cake, bursting with berries, is perfect for a picnic. Dress it up for company with unsweetened whipped cream and a simple vanilla custard sauce.

Poaching time for pears will vary, depending on their firmness.

Add a splash of Angostura bitters, a flavoring found in the supermarket's liquor section, for an intriguing spicy note.

(Ciliege al Vino Rosso) Wine is as much a religion in Tuscany as food is, and rare is the table that is set without a bottle of the local vintage. Wine is also an ingredient in sauces, stews and even sweets. Fruit simmered in wine is a common dessert in the region, and cherries are the fruit of choice during their short summer season.

Try these baked apples topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

"On a recent trip to the Napa Valley, my husband and I had lunch with friends in the Cask Room at Merryvale Vineyards in St. Helena," writes Karen G. Shughart of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. "The meal was prepared by Knickerbocker's Catering. Desserts must be their specialty, because the apricot tart with cornmeal crust was fabulous." Serve this tart with or without the sweet Apricot Sauce. Cornmeal adds texture and flavor to the crust.

Before grilling the pineapple, be sure to preheat your grill rack and then clean it with a metal brush to remove any bits of previously grilled food, which can give an off flavor to the pineapple. This recipe makes great use of the Börner V-slicer*. Other adjustable-blade slicers also work well, but if you don't have one, you can use a sharp 10-inch chef's knife. The smooth-sided tart in our photo was made in a springform pan, but since the crust is very delicate, it's much easier and less likely to break when made in a round tart pan with a removable bottom as called for in the recipe below. Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Look for ripe mangoes that are slightly soft to the touch. To evoke the tropics even more, serve the fruit with coconut macaroons or macadamia nut cookies.