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.

Chocolate Walnut Pudding

This is a party-worthy pudding. Consider topping each serving with some whipped cream and a walnut half. It's very festive. This recipe is part of the Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology.

Basic Chocolate Pudding

This simple pudding can be made at the spur of the moment and makes a fine, light end to the meal. This recipe is part of the Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology. Never made pudding in the microwave? Buy Barbara's Microwave Gourmet for more excellent cooking tips.

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.

Fresh Raspberry Sauce

This simple fruit sauce could be adapted for any berry or mix of berries. It suits a number of desserts, including ice creams, brownies and crepes. It will keep refrigerated for a week, so if you find fresh berries on sale or have too many to use otherwise, this is a good way to use them. This recipe is part of the Barbara Kafka Dessert Anthology.

Stewed Rhubarb With Ricotta

This Italian-inspired dessert is adapted from one in the May 2008 issue of Saveur. I've never really thought about pairing sweet and sour rhubarb with earthy ricotta, but the match works beautifully. The stewed rhubarb is delicious with ice cream, too.

Coconut, Strawberry, White Chocolate and Rhubarb Mousse Cake

This was the featured recipe for Root Source: Rhubarb. You can read more about it at Canelle et Vanille.

Apricot And Cherry Crumble

In her Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl wrote about a fresh apricot pie that is simplicity itself. Put halved apricots in a pie shell and top with a rich streusel topping. We like to skip the pie crust and add sugary cherries to the apricots so that every bite is a burst of sweet-tart fruit.

Chilled Strawberries With Warm Rhubarb Compote

Rhubarb compote recipes often overcompensate for the rhubarb's astringency by calling for too much sugar. We like a tart compote because we usually pair it with something sweet in its own right (or rich and meaty). So stew the rhubarb with the 3/4 cup of sugar and add more at the end if you need it.

Apricot And Golden Raspberry Smoothie

An icy apricot and golden raspberry smoothie? Think a creamsicle mixed with a peach. Read more about this recipe at Cook & Eat.

Banana Fritters With Strawberry Cream

Use bananas that aren’t too ripe as they soften in the cooking process and you don’t want them to be complete mush. The turmeric in the batter makes the fritters a brighter gold. Read more about this recipe at Cook & Eat.

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.