Cookthink

A quick sear in a little butter heightens the white nectarine's caramel notes, keeps raw flavors intact, and protects the fruit from discoloring, which means you can prepare this simple dessert ahead. Read more about this recipe in the Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook.

Poire William Ice Cream

This is wonderful accompanied by poached pears, served chilled or warm, and a dollop of whipped cream. Read more about this recipe in Denise Landis' Dinner for Eight.

Extra Smooth And Fluffy Strawberry Sorbet

Rather than using a simple syrup, this recipe calls for an Italian meringue. Although it is complicated to make, the resulting sorbet is divine. The same procedure will work with other fruit purées. This recipe is part of the Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology.

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream With Cocoa Nibs

I've become nibs obsessed. Who wouldn't like tiny bits of crunchy chocolate? This is intensely chocolate with bits of nibs that aren't jarringly crunchy (thanks to the chilling process) and a rich, creamy texture. Read more about this recipe at Coconut & Lime.

Orange Sauce

This basic orange sauce perks up simple chocolate desserts and is a favorite for pound cake, crêpes and ice cream. Try a drizzle of the sauce over crème caramel or flan. This recipe is part of the Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology.

Simmered Fresh Apricots And Cherries

This compote goes well on pound cake, plain cookies, waffles, pancakes, crepes and even regular old breakfast toast. We love to drizzle a little of it on top of chocolate desserts, especially those with some spice to them.

Mixed Berries With Lemon Verbena Syrup

The aroma of fresh lemon verbena does wonders for this sweet and tart fruit dish. If you can't find it, you can substitute lemon zest or kaffir lime leaves. The flavored berries are delicious on their own, or spooned over ice cream or oatmeal.

Strawberries With Reduced Balsamic And Black Pepper

This is an Italian classic. For good reason: the rich tartness of the balsamic and the spice of the freshly ground black pepper pick up and highlight those same qualities in the strawberries, isolating and enhancing the strawberries' inherent fruity sweetness.

Pear Gelato

Sticking with the natural sweetness of the fruit and just a bit of sugar yields a light ice cream with intense pear flavor. Read more about this recipe at Cook & Eat.

Blackberries With Yogurt And Honey

It's hard to improve on a bowl of really sweet, ripe blackberries. But if you have some blackberries that are too tart to enjoy on their own or are overripe and on their way out, try mixing them with plain yogurt and honey.

Grilled Plums

Try these plums on their own alongside grilled meat or vegetables, or with yogurt or cream, honey and nuts for dessert. Be sure to use plums that barely give when you press them -- too ripe and they'll fall apart on the grill.

Dark Hot Chocolate With Vanilla Cream

A general proportion to follow for a single serving of this rich hot chocolate is 6 tablespoons of the dark chocolate cream to 1 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.