Summer pandowdy layers juicy nectarines and blueberries under a cream biscuit crust, then dowdies the top by pressing it into the bubbling fruit. Old-fashioned New England dessert.
Tuna slaw with red cabbage, oil-packed tuna, anchovies, and a creamy red wine vinegar dressing. No-cook, served at room temperature, ready in 20 minutes.
Two-color chocolate brownies: ultra-rich dark chocolate brownies with walnuts, topped with a white chocolate cream icing and ground nuts. A bakery-style double-batch for a crowd.
Old-fashioned peach ice cream churned in a hand-crank or electric freezer with crushed ripe peaches, evaporated milk, and a touch of almond extract. A summer porch classic.
Homemade chocolate sandwich cookies with creamy vanilla buttercream filling. Better than Oreos with the option to tint half the filling pink or green with peppermint for Valentine's Day.
Fresh blueberry pie with a clever twist: whipped cream lines the bottom and sides of the baked shell before the cooked-and-fresh berry filling pours in. Three hours of chilling sets it into a cool, lush slice.
No-bake strawberry cheesecake with cream cheese, whipped cream, and frozen strawberries set with gelatin on a graham cracker crust. Light, creamy, and smooth.
Pan-fried softshell crabs in butter with a white wine cream sauce finished with Dijon mustard and fresh chives. Golden, crispy shells give way to sweet crab meat under a tangy, herb-laced pan sauce.
Elegant tea cookies made from a slice-and-bake butter dough with cream and vanilla. Chill overnight, slice thin, and bake until crisp and golden.
Triple-chocolate dessert with a brownie shell, Kahlua-spiked chocolate mousse filling, and a coffee-chocolate glaze. A showpiece that needs thin slices and earns every one.
Chocolate-almond sandwich cookies with ground almond cocoa wafers and whipped white chocolate ganache filling. An elegant, slice-and-bake cookie that keeps for a week.
Chocolate truffle tart with raspberries: a cocoa-rich press-in pastry shell filled with silky dark chocolate ganache and topped with fresh raspberries. Elegant and simple.
Cream puff swans made from choux pastry piped into S-shaped necks and oval bodies, filled with sweetened whipped cream and mandarin oranges. A classic French pastry showpiece.
Tipsy chocolate pecan crunch ice cream with homemade chocolate-caramel coated pecans, dark rum custard base, and real heavy cream. A boozy, crunchy, from-scratch frozen indulgence.
Hungarian sour cherry soup (meggyleves): a chilled summer soup of cherries, sugar, cinnamon, dry red wine, and heavy cream. Served cold, sweet, and tangy as a starter or light dessert.
Homemade yogurt made with whole milk, cream, and a cooler for incubation. No yogurt maker needed, just a picnic tote and 8 to 10 hours of patience.