Berry

Sweet potatoes make this moist; cranberries and walnuts add texture and color.

Pastel des Tres Leches con Rompope This special-occasion cake from the state of Sinaloa is spiked with rompope, a rich Mexican eggnog liqueur. It is heated with the tres leches until the mixture is reduced to a syrup that is poured over the hot cake.

An easy press-in crust of ground graham crackers and toasted almonds is topped with a fresh strawberry filling and whipped cream. Chill the pie at least two hours before serving.

This pie has an exceptionally flaky crust. It's wonderful — of course — with vanilla ice cream.

This tart was inspired by a plum tart often cooked by the mother of Lisa's college roommate. Due to Lisa's reckless dissemination of that recipe (which caused an overpopulation of plum tarts up and down the eastern seaboard), her recipe-exchange privileges with said mother have been revoked.

Chill this overnight to develop the blueberry flavor and give the filling time to set.

This compote makes a lovely (and low-fat) dessert on its own, but the addition of ice cream and won ton strips makes it something special.

Be sure to use powdered fruit pectin in this recipe — don't substitute liquid pectin or a low-sugar variety. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 45 min (includes chilling)

When he was the chef at the Carlton Hotel in London, Escoffier created Strawberries Americaine Style — strawberries in orange liqueur, blended into whipped cream and softened ice cream. Little did he know that it would one day be the star dessert of every posh dining spot in California. "Prince" Mike Romanoff "borrowed" the recipe and gave it a new moniker. Soon it was the hottest item on the West Coast. The L.A. Biltmore called it "Strawberries Biltmore." The Palace Hotel in San Francisco served it with anisette and maraschino.

This low-fat recipe won a contest that included mostly high-fat desserts.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Start making this at least one day ahead.