Berry

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 2 1/4 hr

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Italy's sweet and buttery-smooth mascarpone cheese adds flavor and creaminess. Begin this cheesecake at least one day ahead.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 3 hr The walnuts in this recipe aren't crucial to its success — some of us like these buns with nuts, others prefer them without. So the choice is yours.

Peppery arugula, sweet, ripe strawberries, and buttery hazelnuts create layers of contrasting flavor in this simple salad.

Fresh raspberries are baked into these chewy, downright irresistible blondies. You can chill them for a day before serving.

"I have prepared the plum torte from Marian Burros’s The Best of De Gustibus many times, and I’ve also tried variations using different kinds of fruit," says Peter Wayne Gagnon of Pineville, North Carolina. "My experiments helped me arrive at my own version of this dessert." Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

This quick little pan roast really captures the spirit of Italian food culture although I've never seen anything quite like it in Italy. The balsamic-flavored zabaglione is a nod to the classic Modenese osteria dessert of raw strawberries with balsamic vinegar and black pepper.

"This past year, I've enjoyed more opportunities than usual to travel and dine out," writes Tony Solomita of Arlington, Virginia. "Instead of a photo album, I'd like to create an album of recipes from these new favorite restaurants. I'll start with a dessert: the berries with custard sauce from L'Auberge Chez François in nearby Great Falls." For these individual desserts, a light, foamy custard called a sabayon is poured over berries and broiled until just brown.

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

Almond paste in the shortcake biscuits and fresh berries glazed with red currant preserves give this dessert a Swedish accent.

Thanks to the native Wampanoags, the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 were quickly introduced to such important New World foods as cranberries and corn. The newcomers returned the favor by planting apples, which flourished and were soon available in many American varieties. This wonderful holiday pie, with its cornmeal crust and mixed-fruit filling, celebrates that early culinary sharing. It's a delicious combination of some of our most traditional American flavors.

Here's a sophisticated combination of homemade blackberry gelatin layered with vanilla cream. Make the gelatin at least one day ahead so that it has time to set.

Here we take two of the best treats from days gone by and combine them in one dessert. The cookies are also superb on their own.