Pear

An easy cake to make, this is lovely topped with spice-scented sautéed pears and sweetened cinnamon-spiced whipped cream.

Croustades are toasted shapes or shells of bread or baked pastry crusts used as bases for serving various mixtures, either sweet or savory. Here they're made with slices of toasted pound cake and topped with wine-poached pears and ice cream. It's a dessert that's easy to make and a perfect conclusion to a county-style, French-inspired menu.

When selecting persimmons for the following recipe, be sure to get the acorn-shaped Hachiya variety and not the flatter, wider type called Fuyu. Look for very ripe specimens, which should feel quite soft and have glossy, translucent skin.

Among the pear varieties, we prefer the silky, juicy flesh and slightly winy flavor of Comice pears for eating, and they are exceptionally good in this crisp. (For poaching and in tarts, good Bosc pears have the right texture and body.)

The parfaits can be made a day ahead.

Lightly sweetened plain low-fat yogurt is a nice complement to the syrup.

Serve with: Baked sweet potatoes and sautéed Swiss chard. Dessert: Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

There will be some leftover pastry dough after rolling out the crust and decorative leaves for the pie. The scraps make delicious snacks when pieced together and baked .

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Honey and dried currants add sweetness.

"I've been telling everyone about the absolutely incredible birthday meal I had at Park Avenue Café here in New York City," writes Sherri Steinfeld Maxman of New York City. "The knee-weakening menu included Burke's famous "pastrami" salmon; a morel flan served with eggshells nestled in eggcups; basil-rubbed rack of lamb with oven-dried tomato ravioli; Camembert fondue with truffle essence; and a dazzling array of desserts." Executive chef David Burke uses the term fondue freely, in this case applying it to a truffle-flavored cream sauce served with a slice of Camembert. He likes to use Hudson Valley Camembert, a blend of sheep's and cow's milk. It is available by mail order from the cheesemaker, Old Chatham Sheepherding Company in Old Chatham, New York , tel. (888)743-3760.

Tuaca, a sweet, citrus- and vanilla-flavored Italian liqueur, enhances this sophisticated dessert. Tuaca is available in many liquor stores. But if you can't find it, use Grand Marnier or any other orange liqueur.

Studies from Northwestern University and the University of Kentucky indicate that fiber-rich bran from oatmeal can actually reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.