Stone Fruit

The best smoothies are made with very ripe fruit. Mango, pineapple and banana team up with light coconut milk in this one.

The leftover syrup from the lychees makes a delicious sweetener for iced tea. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

Tender banana cake, Cream Cheese Frosting and Mango Curd (see recipes) stack up to one impressive dessert.

A pretty pink dessert that is refreshing and light. Plums with dark purple skin or flesh will give the sherbet beautiful color. Serve a pot of green tea alongside.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Vanilla-Bean Cheesecake with Guava Topping .

Look for ripe mangoes that are slightly soft to the touch. To evoke the tropics even more, serve the fruit with coconut macaroons or macadamia nut cookies.

Also good made with melon or oranges.

Store-bought vanilla frozen yogurt acts as the luscious foil for oranges, pineapple, mango and bananas in a fat-free brown sugar-cinnamon sauce.

Serve this colorful salsa with grilled fish or chicken, or with black beans and rice.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

When sweet, succulent jumbo crabmeat comes into season, this is an incredibly simple, light, and refreshing first course that requires no cooking. It can also be used as a main course for a summer luncheon.

This cobbler is wonderful after the chipotle-honey glazed pork (frankly, it's wonderful after anything).

Spectacular but easy, thanks to purchased ice cream and sorbet. The meringue is browned in the broiler, like a baked Alaska, just before serving.