Raspberry

"Last summer we spent a week in Paso Robles, California, and had an excellent dinner at Bistro Laurent," say Rusty and Stacey Willi of Santa Rosa, California. "To our delight, dessert—a warm raspberry clafouti topped with vanilla ice cream—turned out to be one of our favorite vacation memories." This dessert has a more cake-like texture than a traditional clafouti. The version here is even better topped with ice cream.

For a quick and easy version, just stir one cup of praline into a one-quart tub of vanilla ice cream that has been softened slightly.

If you don't feel like making your own vanilla ice cream for these red, white and blue sundaes, simply pick up a premium brand at the supermarket.

A winner in the Bon Appétit Recipes Sweepstakes, a reader poll conducted in honor of our 50th anniversary.

Popsicle molds are sold at some drugstores and department stores.

A trifle with a few twists: a white chocolate pudding and layers of dark chocolate cream and apricot puree.

Cake-making equipment and ingredients can be found at cake and candy supply stores. Be sure to use cake flour, not all purpose flour, and begin preparing the cake two days ahead. Buy one 1-ounce bottle of gel base color in the shade called Bakers Rose to tint both the frosting and the fondant a pale pink. Plastic drinking straws are used to support the middle and top tiers. Buy the straight—not bendable—kind.

Festive and pretty, this do-ahead dessert is a boon for busy hosts.

Here's a variation on the classic raspberry-jam-filled Viennese specialty, Linzertorte. Show off these cookies in a box that's lined with lace or a linen napkin, and trimmed with wire ribbon.

This dessert is based on an old-fashioned Russian kissel—traditionally a sweetened fruit purée thickened with potato starch, which gives it a puddinglike consistency. We've left the berries whole in order to achieve a more interesting look and texture and substituted cornstarch for the thickener as it's more readily available in the States.

In this terrific take on the classic Linzer-torte, an almond-cinnamon cookie crust is the delicious base for layers of chocolate and raspberries with raspberry jam. Cookie-crust stars top the whole thing off.

A rich chocolate-raspberry truffle filling highlights this updated Linzertorte.

Try this cinnamon-scented sauce over vanilla ice cream, pound cake or both. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A fall favorite that's topped with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Sinfully rich chocolate mousse was introduced to Americans by Julia Child on television during the sixties. The combination here of fresh berries, white chocolate cream and dark chocolate mousse has timeless appeal.