Banana

This recipe comes from the Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, Wisconsin.

One day I wanted to use up a case of bananas that were overripe, and this cake was the result. The olive oil adds moisture to the cake. You can serve this cake warm; it is very rewarding with Vanilla Ice Cream.

"I’ve been cooking since I was twelve, and my husband, Bruce, picked it up during a "Mr. Mom" phase after our second daughter was born," writes Renee Davis of Cadiz, Ohio. "We have a great time coming up with recipes together. If he concocts a dish, I’ll taste-test it, and vice versa. Some of our best (and worst) dishes have been the result of enthusiastic experimentation. I used to serve fresh fruit with a cream-cheese-and-marshmallow dip as an easy dessert after big barbecue meals, but we improved on that by adding a cookie crust and ended up with an entirely new dish." Popular with kids and adults, this dessert pizza is incredibly easy to make. Top with your favorite summer fruit.

White Chocolate Tartlets with Strawberries and Bananas These irresistible sweets feature a hazelnut crust that is lined with dark chocolate and filled with white chocolate mousse.

Here, buttermilk replaces nearly all of the oil. Very ripe bananas give the best flavor.

The fritter tradition harks back to West Africa, where frying in deep oil is one of the major cooking techniques. In the African Atlantic world, fritters can be served as appetizers, as a vegetable, and even as a dessert, as they are here. My maternal Grandma Jones had a way with fritters. She would prepare them from the overripe bananas that she found at low prices at her local greengrocer's.

This indulgent Cognac-spiked dessert fondue is perfect for a romantic evening by the fire.

This tart is a great last-minute dessert for just about any meal, and it's quite possible you have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now. Grind your own crumbs if you've got whole graham crackers on hand.

A chewy coconut meringue "crust" and rich chocolate mousse filling make this delicious, inventive Australian dessert taste like a combination of coconut cream pie and chocolate cream pie.

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.

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

Terrific with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt.

The addition of fresh fruit gives these irresistible sundaes seasonal appeal. The rich creamy sauce is a do-ahead.