Strawberry

Here's a colorful and delicious addition to a brunch menu. It also makes a lovely light dessert on its own.

Considered a luxury in the nineteenth century, this ice cream has flourished in the past decade and has become a modern classic in Irish restaurants. But it is easy to prepare at home, too, because the recipe does not require an ice cream maker. In this version of the ice cream, the breadcrumbs are turned into a praline.

The failure-proof cookie-like crust can be prepared ahead. Use any leftover dough to make a few cookies.

Strawberries and whipped cream are sandwiched between orange-scented butter cookies in this pretty dessert.

Purchased puff pastry and almond paste help make an elegant dessert in minutes.

Any colorful combination of seasonal fruit can be used to decorate this pretty dessert.

Like the cake layers, the frosting is made in two separate batches; each batch yields about eight cups. Ivy is for decoration only; please remove ivy before cutting cakes.

This recipe originally accompanied Lemon-Almond Buttermilk Loaf with Balsamic Strawberries .

Probably named for the Russian royal family, this dish gained popularity at San Francisco's Palace Hotel.

Biscotti would be great for dipping, too.

This dessert can be made one day ahead and stored in the freezer, making it ideal for entertaining. You can create the decorative meringue swirls and peaks with a rubber spatula, table knife, or spoon, but an offset spatula works best.

I know of no better way with strawberries than this quick and simple method. You don't need an ice cream machine to make this sorbet, just a little sugar, water, and a food processor.

These parfaits (or budini — Italian for "puddings") of ultra-creamy mascarpone layered with Marsala-soaked strawberries perfectly illustrate the way of dessert in Italy: utterly simple, not too sweet, and delicious.