Berry

We slightly dried the small strawberries in this recipe so that their excess juice would not affect the crème caramel. We recommend using wild strawberries, as they do not need to be dried before using here. Both the crème caramel and the crust may be made ahead, but, to ensure a crisp crust and shiny caramel, do not invert the crème caramel onto the crust until shortly before serving.

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.

The fresh berries at the open-air markets of Nice inspired this simple recipe. The wide surface of a large skillet reduces the cooking time, which helps keep the fruit flavor at its peak.

Tender, biscuit-like dough is formed into a lattice atop this easy treat.

Cranberries make a traditional breakfast spread festive and seasonal.

From the Spa at Doral in Miami.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This cake, also called fraisier (French for "strawberry plant"), is usually made with almonds, but pistachios are used in this rendition. The delicate cake is layered with fresh strawberries and a mousselike white chocolate buttercream and then topped with marzipan.

If you think novelists do research only in libraries, think again. Culinary mystery writer Diane Mott Davidson has a different approach: She caters. Far-fetched? Not when your perennial protagonist is one Goldy Schulz, a caterer who has cooked her way through such delicious mysteries as Dying for Chocolate and Killer Pancake, stories that include the author's own enticing recipes and mentions of cranberry and orange, both significant flavors in her comfort-dessert memory file. "My husband was in the Navy and was often away at sea, so there was little opportunity to cook," she says. "One day I was with some Navy wives, and somebody set out a cranberry-orange bread. I raved about it. Not long after that, I drove to Norfolk to meet my husband's ship, and stayed with the woman who had baked the bread. While I was there, she slipped another loaf of it into my suitcase. It was the nicest thing anybody could have done." Prepare the cranberry glaze for this lovely orange layer cake a day ahead to allow it to firm up and chill. And consider presenting the finished cake as a gift; you're sure to make someone's day.

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.

The large amount of chocolate glaze called for in this recipe makes the dipping process easier. (The leftover glaze is an excellent sauce for ice cream.)

Begin preparing this the day before you plan to serve it to allow the mousse to set.

"As a fan of the television show 'Molto Mario,' " writes Melissa Raney Davidson of Upper Arlington, Ohio, "I was excited to have the opportunity to dine at one of chef Mario Batali's restaurants while I was in New York on business. The dinner I had at Pó in Greenwich Village was wonderful, and the panna cotta dessert was light and smooth — truly one of the best I've ever had." The restaurant is under new ownership now, but they still serve a similar dessert. Here is chef Mario Batali's recipe.