Berry

Pat: When it comes to summertime in the South, fresh peaches rule. We put them in ice cream, pie, and cobbler. We pack them in mason jars and cover them with syrup. No getting around it: we have never met a peach-and-sugar dish that we didn’t like. When we were kids, Momma Daisy had several peach trees in her backyard. She’d give my brothers and me a big basket, and we would go out and pick them right off the tree. Next thing you knew, she was making cobbler—man, was that a treat. Needless to say, that was always a fun trip, and now we get to relive it by sharing her recipe with you.

This strawberry roll is elegant in appearance but less rich than a roll covered with whipped cream rather than the light meringue.

The good news: This delicious dessert can actually be very low fat if you use the low-fat or fat-free yogurt. The key is to use a good Greek yogurt—the flavor is amazingly rich, even in low-fat varieties. When you're assembling the dish, don't worry about creating perfect layers—this trifle is even prettier when the ingredients overlap a bit.

This can be a great dish all year round, if you choose the best fruits available. The addition of mint adds a bright, refreshing flavor to the sweetness of the fruit.

Peanut butter goes well with more than just jam, and this interesting combination proves it. This is delicious with whatever fruit is in season.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from Gabrielle Carbone, coproprietor of The Bent Spoon ice cream parlor in Princeton, New Jersey. This pretty, striped cake can be assembled either from freshly made sorbet and ice cream or from leftovers. If you make the components fresh, it's helpful to have more than one freezer bowl for your ice cream maker or a self-freezing machine. If you don't, remember that some models demand that you freeze the bowl overnight between batches. You can make the batches on successive days, packing each flavor into the pan as it's done, then freezing the pan and the bowl until you're ready to make the next batch. Try to keep everything that you use in the preparation of this cake — even your cake stand or serving plate — cold. This will help the cake look better longer, especially on a hot day. The simple, fresh flavors of the sorbets and ice cream don't need much embellishment, but crushed Newman's Own Organic O's (the organic take on Oreos) or chopped candied ginger make a nice addition and help separate the layers.

No need to wait for the ice cream truck. These colorful homemade pops capture the warm-weather synergy of ripe strawberries and creamy vanilla.

This recipe comes from Katrina and Carmelo Turillo, owners of La Divina Gelateria in New Orleans.

This recipe yields enough to make the "shortcakes," too.

The ruffly white meringue called a Pavlova is all about sublime textures. Here, the crunchy yet marshmallowy meringue meets silky lemon curd, juicy ripe berries, and billows of whipped cream. Virtually the national dish of Australia, the dessert is claimed by New Zealand as well; it was named for the Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured both countries in 1926. The inspiration for this recipe came from food stylist (and New Zealander) Toni Brogan.

This gorgeous tart features an easy no-bake filling and is topped with fresh strawberries in a rich port glaze.

The perfect date dessert is one that's interactive: Candied strips of orange peel, fresh raspberries, and crisp almond cookies are all flavorful enough to stand up to a silky dark-chocolate fondue spiked with a shot of warming brandy.

In this grown-up float, "sorbato" (a cross between sorbet and gelato) stands in for the ice cream, and bubbly Prosecco is used in place of soda.

Ground ginger and crystallized ginger amp up the flavor of the cake; fresh ginger adds a spicy hit to the fresh strawberries. The Bundt pan is coated with raw sugar before the batter is added, giving the cake a sparkly crust.

Tangy lemon curd and a white chocolate ganache are each folded with whipped cream to form airy mousses. They're layered here with pretty sliced strawberries, but any berry or soft ripe fruit will work.

This rustic cake gets a zing from a tangy lemon glaze. The sauce dresses up the cake for dessert (or brunch).

You will not regret investing in a set of coeur à la crème dishes, as this is the most captivating of summer desserts, and can be varied all season according to what fruits are available.

Somewhere between custard and cake lies the clafoutis, a simple French country dessert traditionally made with cherries. In this dark chocolate and raspberry version, your blender does most of the work.

Rich, thick Greek yogurt cloaks balsamic-scented blackberries for a refreshing, lower-fat brûlée.