Fresh apricots have such a short season that it's all the more reason for them to shine in this cobbler.
These tiny sandwiches may sound fussy, but they come together very quickly if you use a food processor. When pressing the patties to flatten, wet your hands to avoid a sticky mess. Cover and keep the finished patties warm while the other batches cook.
This winning dessert from the Blomidon Inn in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley celebrates one of the region's chief products: apples. Wedges are served with whipped cream and toasted sliced almonds. (From "Fruit Divine" in the November 2005 issue of Canadian Living Magazine.)
The luscious tang of fresh plums tastily complements the sweetness of almonds in this summer showcase pie.
Serve this to the chocoholic in your life and he — or she — will be yours forever. Both filling and pat-in pastry can be doubled easily to make a 10-inch (25 cm) pie; just add a whole egg instead of an egg white when making the pastry and arrange two or three pears in spoke fashion.
The make-ahead is the real plus to these potatoes in their creamy sauce. There's less to fuss about when there's company if you have at least one standby vegetable that just needs to bake and crisp while you make gravy.
Delight somebody special with the ultimate brownie — moist, fudgy and cut into hearts.
Give your favourite java head a double shot of espresso: a brownie made with espresso and topped with a chocolate-covered espresso bean.
Extra chocolaty, these squares from Daphna Rabinovitch, our associate food and nutrition editor, don't even need icing. If you like, you can serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries for an elegant dessert.
