Mango

A flavorful accompaniment for roast pork, chicken, burgers, or grilled shrimp.

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

Colorful salsas and relishes made with fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs became popular in this decade of diets. The toppings are light and fresh and packed with flavor-just right with grilled low-fat fish.

Ultra-rich mascarpone in the batter produces an extraordinarily creamy cheesecake. The cheesecake must be chilled at least six hours before serving.

Start preparing this two days before you plan to serve it. Toast the coconut in a 350°F oven until light golden in spots, stirring frequently, about ten minutes.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 35 min

Begin making the lime-ginger curd one day before baking the cake. The assembled dessert can be chilled overnight before serving.

"The last time we went to Las Vegas," writes Timothy Arndt of Austin, Texas, "I took my girlfriend out to dinner at Olives in the Bellagio, and we were both impressed with the food and the gorgeous setting. Best of all was dessert — we shared a creamy and exotic coconut rice pudding with tropical fruit." Use any leftover macaroon crumble over ice cream or fresh fruit.

A rich cheesecake filling is baked in a tart crust for an elegant twist on a favorite.

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.

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