Pineapple

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At The Great House at Villa Madeleine in St. Croix, they often use a native fish called wahoo for this interesting dish, but swordfish is another nice choice. They also make the chutney with the very hot Scotch bonnet pepper. A serrano chili produces a slightly milder version.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The recipe for the coconut pudding is adapted from Mexican Light Cooking by Santa Fe-based chef Kathi Long.

Fresh fruit marinated in Scotch and sugar is a lovely topper for the purchased cake.

The coconut tuiles (cookies) that go into this layered dessert (left) are delicate, so the recipe provides for quite a few extras to allow for breakage. Tuiles are also terrific with ice cream. The syrup gets an interesting (and delicious) kick from nontraditional dessert ingredients like black peppercorns and a jalapeño chili.

Aji amarillo is a Peruvian chile. This salsa uses a jarred paste made from these flavorful and fiery bright yellow peppers. This recipe is an accompaniment for Pork Tenderloin Churrasco .

"Wonderful!" was the comment scribbled in the margin of this recipe when my friend and colleague, Donna Adams, tested it. The dish improves if prepared ahead of time and reheated. The pork freezes very well, but the pineapple does not, so add the fruit just before serving. You must use fresh pineapple, as the acidity of the fresh fruit provides the balance needed in the sauce. Serve this dish with white rice.

When you're cooking with veggies, don't overlook dessert! This cake has great texture, thanks to both pureed and grated carrots. It's delicious with or without frosting and great for parties.

Pineapple is a good finish to an Asian- or Caribbean- inspired meal. Serve the crêpes with vanilla ice cream.

A luscious caramel-lime sauce makes this dessert a real star.

Jamie Davies and her late husband, Jack, were pioneers in the California wine industry. In 1965 they purchased and restored Schramsberg, a vineyard estate established in 1862, and they soon began producing the first American sparkling wine. When Davies thinks about comforting desserts, she remembers her childhood in Pasadena. "I was about eight when I started making upside-down cakes with my older sister, Dallas. We’d come home after school and mix up the recipe; I loved the sensual pleasure of making the batter. We'd put the cake in the oven, then go play croquet with our friends. Then we’d all come in and eat it up. We thought we had died and gone to heaven." The easy upside-downer here has wonderful spice flavors. Using canned pineapple chunks keeps the preparation simple.

"My mother and I spent a recent afternoon shopping in Gruene, a small town not far from Austin," writes Martha Witebsky of Austin, Texas. "We loved the tender, fruity cake we had at the River House Tea Room. Would chef Carol Hill share the recipe for what she calls Hummingbird Cake?"