Fruit

Ground ginger and crystallized ginger amp up the flavor of the cake; fresh ginger adds a spicy hit to the fresh strawberries. The Bundt pan is coated with raw sugar before the batter is added, giving the cake a sparkly crust.

It makes a great side dish, but this salad is even better as a pizza topping. Brush the with olive oil, sprinkle it with sea salt and shredded mozzarella, then bake. When the pizza comes out of the oven, top it with the salad.

The secret to these moist cupcakes? Reduced coconut milk.

This cake is light as air— and infused with flavor, thanks to a little grated orange peel. A deep, dark caramel sauce and a stunning fruit compote make the dessert dinner-party-worthy. Be sure not to use a pan with a nonstick coating. Because this cake is cooled upside down in the pan, you want the cake to stick to the sides a bit.

Tangy lemon curd and a white chocolate ganache are each folded with whipped cream to form airy mousses. They're layered here with pretty sliced strawberries, but any berry or soft ripe fruit will work.

Gremolata is usually made with parsley, garlic, and lemon peel. Here, shallot replaces garlic, and tarragon and orange peel are added.

This rustic cake gets a zing from a tangy lemon glaze. The sauce dresses up the cake for dessert (or brunch).

A buttery shortbread with bright lime flavor and a crunchy topping.

You will not regret investing in a set of coeur à la crème dishes, as this is the most captivating of summer desserts, and can be varied all season according to what fruits are available.

Use your favorite nuts, candies, or cookies to coat the bananas.

In this bourbon-spiked baby, homemade génoise (a kind of spongecake) subs for the traditional vanilla wafers, and brown sugar contributes a molasses-like sweetness. Glazed pecans add some crunch to the layers of silky pudding, ripe bananas, and tender cake.

Korean tables—both in restaurants and at home—are always set with a series of banchan, or little dishes that can be eaten alone, with rice, or as an accompaniment to the main course. To keep things lively, banchan should run the gamut of tastes and textures, and this particular pickle really sparkles: It is sweet, tart, crisp, and fresh. Salting the sliced cucumbers and then squeezing out their excess water allows them to fully soak up the pickling mixture.

An almond-spiked crust and twice the amount of filling you'd find in most Key lime pies are the secret here.

The gooey glaze on these chicken breasts evokes the festive flavor of dark, fruity sangria (without any resulting headache). Be sure not to use delicious yet bitter British-style marmalade; the recipe works much better with the sweeter variety.

In Korea, dessert often means a simple piece of fruit. This ice cream, though more complex, rings so clearly of mandarin oranges that we think an exception may be made. Sesame seeds, valued in Korean cooking for their medicinal properties, thread their way through the frozen custard as nuggets of honey-sweetened brittle. When making a large amount of ice cream, as this recipe does, it's imperative to churn the mixture in two batches, so ice crystals don’t form.

Somewhere between custard and cake lies the clafoutis, a simple French country dessert traditionally made with cherries. In this dark chocolate and raspberry version, your blender does most of the work.