Berry

Since this cheesecake needs to chill for several hours, it's easiest to bake it a day ahead of time.

To round out this menu, serve roasted squash, corn muffins and boiled green beans with orange zest. End with vanilla ice cream topped with warm chestnuts in syrup.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The topping spreads as it bakes, forming a crisp cookie-like layer.

(GELATO DI FRAGOLLA)

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.

"Inspired by Caroline Bates's Chesapeake Bay article in the June 1998 Gourmet, I decided to spend a couple of days there with a friend from Holland," says Susan Tingle Goldthwaite of Teaneck, New Jersey. "We stayed at the Waterloo Country Inn and were pleasantly surprised to find that the inn now has a restaurant, called David's at the Waterloo, open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. The strawberry napoleon was unlike anything I have ever tasted. Wonderfully fresh strawberries were swirled in the most luscious cream concoction and nestled between two lacy almond cookies. My mouth starts watering just thinking of it again! I'd love to have the recipe." Editors' note: It turns out that chef David Wells and his wife, Lillian, have since moved their restaurant to Salisbury, Maryland, which is about 10 miles from the Waterloo Country Inn. They still offer this delicious dessert at their new place, David's (a bistro!).

This is an elegant dessert, light but filled with berry flavor — and it's much easier to make than it looks. The generous crust is made from store-bought shortbread, so rich in butter there's no need to add more. We used Walkers, a pure-butter shortbread from Scotland that's widely available in supermarkets.

This jam has a good, concentrated flavor: The only liquid comes from the rhubarb and berries interacting with sugar and lemon juice. The quick-to-prepare jam also makes a nice filling for tarts.

This impressive frozen dessert has a crisp gingersnap crust, cool mango and lime sorbet filling, and refreshing fruit topping.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 9 hr

Flambéing was all the rage in the '40s, not only for its drama but also for its utility — chafing dishes let the cook go home early and let the host or hostess show off in the dining room. Everyone's heard of cherries Jubilee, but we prefer strawberries set aflame in boozy syrup.

This recipe is likely to work well with other cane berries such as blackberries and marionberries.