FEEDS: 4-6

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 2 pints fresh strawberries
• 3 T. granulated sugar
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 3 T. orange juice
• 9 Pecan Sandies
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• dash nutmeg
• 3 T. melted butter

LET'S COOK

Slice the cleaned berries into a bowl. Drop in the granulated sugar, cornstarch and the orange juice. Mix it all together well and then set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the cookies in a plastic bag. Using your fist, crush them to an even texture. Pour the cookie crumbles into another bowl. Add the brown sugar, walnuts, nutmeg and the melted butter. Stir it up with your hands until it’s an even texture.

Pour the strawberries into a glass baking dish (8”x11”) and spread them out evenly. Scatter the cookie topping evenly over the berries, then gently stir it in a bit with a fork. Pop into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

MORE IDEAS:

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. You could do this with blueberries or even some raspberries. You can also use chopped pecans in place of the walnuts.

FEEDS: 2

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 T. butter
• 2 C. fresh strawberries, cleaned and sliced
• pinch of salt
• 2-3 T. orange liqueur such as Triple Sec or even Grand Mariner
• 1/3 C. maple syrup
• vanilla ice cream
• chocolate sticks and mint sprigs

LET'S COOK

Drop the butter into a heavy gauge sauté pan over a medium high burner. When the butter is melted, add the sliced, fresh berries, the salt and stir them around to coat them in the butter. Add the orange liqueur, stir it in and then ignite it either by tipping the pan on a gas burner or with a long match on an electric stove.

When the alcohol burns off, pour and stir in the maple syrup. Turn off the burner and allow it to sit while you get the serving dishes ready. Spoon the berries and the sauce into the two dishes, place a tiny scoop of the ice cream on top, arrange a chocolate stick on the side of the ice cream, garnish with a mint sprig and serve it up with great pride.

MORE IDEAS:

Try this with sliced fresh nectarines or peaches for a seasonal twist. Use a good quality vanilla ice cream that has chocolate-coated almonds in it. Or, rum raisin is fun, too.

FEEDS: 3-4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 2 T. butter
• 2 apples, peeled, seeded and sliced thin
• 1 pear, peeled, seeded and sliced thin
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• ¼ C. pecan pieces
• ¼ C. raisins, plumped in hot water and drained
• ¾ C. real maple syrup
• rum raisin ice cream

LET'S COOK

Melt the butter in a saute pan. Add the sliced apples and pear, season with a pinch of both the nutmeg and cinnamon and cook over a medium high burner just until the fruits are tender.

Add the pecans, the drained raisins and then the maple syrup. Stir it all together and cook just until the maple syrup begins to boil and foam. Turn off the burner and allow it to sit a few minutes. To serve, spoon the warm fruits and some of the sauce into attractive serving bowls. Top each one with a small scoop of the ice cream and serve right away.

MORE IDEAS:

It’s best to slice the apples and pear in advance and drop them into a bowl of water mixed with a tablespoon or so of lemon juice. Just before cooking, drain the fruits and gently dry them in a towel to remove the excess moisture. You can substitute vanilla ice cream for the rum raisin, or use your favorite flavor. For extra flavor, soak the raisins in rum instead of water.

FEEDS: 4-6

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 pumpkin, pie type, 3-4 pounds
• 2 T, brown sugar
• 1 t. ground cinnamon

Filling:

• 3 large eggs
• 2 C. milk
• 3/4 C. sugar
• pinch of salt
• 3 T. Quick Cooking tapioca
• 1 T. vanilla extract

LET'S COOK

Cut the top of the pumpkin as you would for a jack-o-lantern and scoop out the seeds. Mix the 2 T. of brown sugar and the cinnamon in a bowl, drop into the pumpkin and turn it to coat the inside. Put the pumpkin on a pie plate and bake, with the lid on, in a 350-degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

Whip the eggs in a saucepot, add the sugar, milk, salt and the tapioca. Blend it all up with a whip and set aside for 10 minutes. Next, over a medium high burner, cook the tapioca mix, stirring constantly with a spatula, until it thickens. Take the cooked pumpkin out of the oven, remove the lid and pour in the tapioca. Sprinkle it with some cinnamon, put the whole thing back in the oven, uncovered, with the lid on the side of the dish and bake another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes or so, then serve on a tray with the lid propped on the side of the pumpkin.

MORE IDEAS:

Scrape some of the interior of the pumpkin as you serve it since the earthy flavors nicely compliment the tapioca. A small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is also tasty.

FEEDS: 3-4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• ¼ C. defrosted orange juice concentrate
• ¼ C. maple syrup
• ¼ C. fruit liqueur such as apricot or even blackberry
• fresh seasonal fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, melon and even bananas

LET'S COOK

Mix the three liquid ingredients in a small bowl. Add whatever fruits you choose to use, mix it gently and cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend. Spoon some of the mix into a bowl, top with a small scoop of your favorite ice cream or sorbet and serve garnished with a mint leave.

MORE IDEAS:

Always be sure that whatever fruits you use are peeled, pitted and cut into bite size pieces.

FEEDS: 4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 ½ C. red Zinfandel wine
• 1/3 C. granulated sugar
• 1/3 C. red currant jelly
• ½ t. vanilla extract
• 5 cloves
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 4 D’Anjou pears, peeled, cored and cut into edible pieces

FOR PRESENTATION:

• Mint chocolate chip ice cream
• Specialty cookies
• Mint sprigs

LET'S COOK

Pour the wine, sugar, jelly, vanilla, cloves and cinnamon into a saucepot. Bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. Drop the peeled, cored and cut pears into the pan. Bring it back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

At this point, taste one of the pear pieces to be sure it’s tender enough for you. If it’s not to your liking, cook another 5-10 minutes. When the pears are done to your liking, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon. Discard the cloves.

Bring the sauce back to a boil and reduce or boil it down for about 8 minutes. Add the pears back to the pan turn off the burner and allow it to sit for about an hour. Doing this a day in advance is even better.

When it’s time to serve, divide the pears and sauce evenly among 4 nice dessert dishes.

Top with a small scoop of the mint chocolate chip ice cream, add a specialty cookie and a mint sprig and serve with great pride.

MORE IDEAS:

Any sort of ice cream will work, plain vanilla, chocolate, even rum raisin.

FEEDS: 4-6

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 10 oz. package frozen raspberries in syrup
• 1 T. orange liqueur
• juice of half a lime
• ½ C. fresh or frozen whole raspberries
• chocolate syrup
• fresh pastries
• mint leaves

LET'S COOK

Place the defrosted berries in syrup, the orange liqueur, lime juice and fresh berries in a food processor. Whip to a frenzy. Strain the sauce thru a sieve over a bowl to remove the seeds. What you have now is a raspberry coulis, or raspberry fruit sauce.

To prepare a fun dessert, begin with a smear of the raspberry coulis across 4 large plates. Drizzle with some chocolate syrup for flair. Slice the individual pastries into four equal pieces and place one of each on the dessert plates. Add a pile of fresh berries such as blueberries, garnish with a mint sprig and serve immediately.

MORE IDEAS:

Shop for a brownie or fudge nut bar, a lemon square, even a small individual cheesecake to cut into quarters for your final dessert presentation. You might even add a small scoop of your favorite ice cream for more visual and taste treats. Get creative!