Plum

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 6 hr

In this recipe, tortillas are a supermarket stand-in for mandarin pancakes. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 35 min

We love these tarts made with Italian prune plums—small oval plums that turn up at the market from late August until mid-October. These meaty plums have a rich purple-red color and hold their shape well when baked. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 hr

Plums replace pineapple in a terrific rendition of a favorite dessert.

Here's a recipe to have some fun with. Shortcakes are typically small and individually sized, but this is an impressive large cake filled with sweetened fresh fruit and whipped mascarpone. And unlike most shortcakes, this one is assembled ahead of time.

Here is a beautiful and inventive salad that combines hearty beets, sweet-tart plums and tangy goat cheese.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Proof that strawberries aren't the only kind of fruit that's perfect with shortcakes.

Because of reader demand, this recipe was published in one form or another in The New York Times almost every year between 1983 and 1995, when the then editor of the food section told me to tell my readers it was the last year it would be published, and if they lost it, it was too bad. She suggested they cut it out, laminate it, and put it on the refrigerator door. My coauthor of the first Elegant but Easy Cookbook brought this recipe to the book. Its appeal comes from its lovely old-fashioned flavor and its speed of preparation. It was originally called Fruit Torte.

I've often made this luscious spread with little yellow plums gathered from my friend Ilene's fruit trees. Red or purple plums work equally well. Because fruit butters are slowly cooked down to a thick paste, they require a good deal of stirring to prevent scorching. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 3 hr (plus 1 day for flavors to develop)

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional sitting time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These pretty tartlets can be made one day ahead. Arrange them in a single layer in a shallow plastic container for transporting.

This appealing do-ahead dessert, perfect for a picnic, can be formed ahead and frozen. Just thaw, then bake and cool.

These plums nicely complement pork or lamb chops. You can slip off the skins before eating if you like.

This fruit ice is flavored with cinnamon and allspice. It is garnished with slices of peach, nectarine and plum; other seasonal fruit would work, too. Follow with iced espresso.