Fruit Dessert

Fresh compote replaces cream-and-egg-laden pie filling.

Use any combination of red or black grapes to achieve a deep purple color.

An elegant twist on the pineapple classic. You can use any kind of pear you'd like.

If you manage to have any leftovers, this moist spice cake makes a nice afternoon treat with a cup of tea. For an extra-tart garnish, serve with Citrus-Cranberry Compote .

One slice of this classic dessert can pack 480 calories, 22 grams fat and 35 g sugar. (No, that's not á la mode.) Crust in time for the holidays.

Fresh figs are a wealth of life force, containing thousands of tiny seeds that make them a very virile and hormone-rich food. These delicate fruits are very popular in the cuisines of Europe and the Middle East, where they originated. Feel free to use any sprouted nut in the preparation of the nut kreme; pecans are my favorite.

This is an adaptation of a recipe created by our local berry farm.

Inspired by a recipe from chef Kaori Endo of Nanashi in Paris, this smart, easy dessert shows how well matcha plays with creamy yogurt and fruit.

Four ingredients never tasted so good! Vanilla ice cream makes a great fifth.

You can make these custards and their grape garnish up to 2 days in advance.

This dessert is a favorite of chef Mitchell Kaldrovich's. "When I moved to Maine, I discovered how great the apples here are," he says. Don't forget to finish it with maple syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Says Kaldrovich: "It makes the dish."

West's friend Valerie Gordon, of Valerie Confections, created this cakelike dessert using both fresh and preserved peaches.

A little balsamic vinegar and a few grinds of black pepper bring out the sweetness of ripe strawberries.

Editor's note: Use these roasted cherries to make Jeni Britton Bauer's Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Roasted Red Cherries . Roasting cherries concentrates the flavors and natural fruit sugars. Roasted cherries are great for putting in ice cream, for adding on top of it while serving, or even in a pie à la mode sundae.

A glass of chilled Prosecco is a fine prelude to a summer meal. Morphed into a sophisticated gelée, it's a great ending, too.

Serve topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

In this simplest of summer desserts, sour cream adds a pleasant tang to lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream.

The very first recipe I tested for Gourmet magazine was a rhubarb fool. It was a rather complicated affair that required a sugar syrup—of which you used only half—gelatin, whipped cream, and a whipped egg white. Fools don't need to be so involved; they're an old British dessert that basically consists of a fruit puree folded into whipped cream. The recipe below will show you just how delicious four simple ingredients simply united can be. Ready for more rhubarb? Get my tips for how to pick the perfect stalk and learn how this vegetable gets its ruby red color, all on the Gourmet Live blog. Then tune in to the 04.20.11 issue of Gourmet Live to read about my first adventures with rhubarb. Download the Gourmet Live iPad app for free!