Blueberry

Sugar cookies are the perfect accompaniment to this colorful finale.

You don't have to be in the kitchen at the crack of dawn to prepare a terrific breakfast. In this recipe the French toast is soaked overnight like bread pudding — in the morning all you need to do is add the topping and pop it in the oven. Serve it with coffee, juice, and fresh fruit and you've got a well-rounded way to start the day.

Here's a beautiful pie with a sweet-tart filling and a sensational crust.

The frozen berries aren't thawed before you use them, so this dessert is super fast.

Nancy Pellini Morrow of Haddonfield, New Jersey, writes: "My friend and I had a wonderful meal at Canyon Southwest Cafe in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Everything we ate was top-notch, but the best part was the cheesecake with mixed-berry sauce we had for dessert."

'90S SEINFELD After Elaine exclaims that she only likes the tops of muffins ("The Muffin Tops" first aired on May 8, 1997), her former boss thinks Elaine has hit on a clever marketing idea. But when you only sell the tops, what do you do with the hundreds of muffin "stumps" (bottoms) that are left? Elaine and her gang take to the streets with garbage bags of stumps, trying to pawn them off on anyone and everyone. There are no takers; even the homeless turn them down with disdain. It didn't take long after the airing of the episode for muffin-top pans to appear on store shelves — another TV triumph. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

This cake is a southern tradition for festive occasions. It can be completely assembled and chilled one day before serving.

Mini pound cakes are not only delicious but a perfect dessert for picnics or box lunches. For a more formal look, pur
e some blueberries with a little sugar and serve the sauce over the cakes. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

A real special-occasion entrée. Rich Muscovy duck breasts, sold at specialty foods stores, are larger and meatier than others.

Lemon curd, lemon-cornmeal shortcakes, blueberry sauce and fresh blueberries are teamed in a winning dessert.

We always had this coffeecake for birthday breakfasts and other special occasions. Even when we lived far away from Maine, the smell brought us back to Bar Harbor.

In a fresh interpretation of the classic Italian dessert, we've replaced the traditional chocolate and coffee with berries and fruit liqueur. For a garnish, we like the looks of fresh berries, but we used frozen berries in the filling to keep it moist. They're also more uniform in flavor--and less expensive.

Begin making these frozen treats at least one day before serving.