Dessert/40 recipes

Microwave chocolate pots de creme melt German chocolate with cream and sugar, then temper with egg yolk and chill into a velvety French dessert. Single serving in 10 minutes hands-on.

Silky Bavarian cream with vanilla and almond extract, set in stemmed glasses and drizzled with fresh raspberry puree. A light, elegant no-bake dessert that's ready in 20 minutes plus chilling time.

Fresh quartered strawberries topped with a silky blended sauce of low-fat yogurt, raspberry jam, powdered sugar, and orange zest. A low-fat, 10-minute dessert that feels indulgent without the guilt.

3-ingredient Banana Cream blends ripe bananas with low-fat yogurt and serves over chopped dried apricots. A no-cook dessert or quick breakfast ready in 10 minutes with no added sugar.

Coconut meringue cookies shaped into little bird nests and filled with candy eggs or jelly beans. A show-stopping Easter dessert that's crisp, light as air, and gluten-free. Makes 20 nests.

Halloween spiderweb cheesecake is a no-bake creamy vanilla cheesecake on chocolate crust, decorated with a piped-and-pulled chocolate web. A spooky kid-friendly dessert ready to chill in 10 minutes.

Versatile cold cherry soup with white wine vinegar, cinnamon, and heavy cream. Serve as chilled soup with sour cream or flip to dessert with sweetened whipped cream. Makes 2 quarts to feed 10.

Flambeed peaches in a port wine and cherry jelly sauce with cinnamon and lime, spooned over lemon ice cream. A dramatic tableside dessert that goes from chafing dish to plate in 20 minutes.

Suji halva is a warm Indian semolina dessert toasted in ghee until golden, then soaked in cardamom-scented sugar syrup. Topped with sliced almonds and plump raisins, it's ready in just 20 minutes.

Fried bananas almandine sautes split bananas with sliced almonds in clarified butter, served over warm chocolate sauce spiked with Grand Marnier. A classic French-leaning dessert that comes together in under 20 minutes.

Frozen ice cream ribbon pie layers fruit ice cream and a melted chocolate-mint drizzle in a crumb crust, topped with mint-studded vanilla. A no-bake summer dessert built in 20 minutes.

Oven-fried bananas ready in 10 minutes with just butter and bananas. Serve savory with salt and pepper as a side dish, or sweet with cinnamon and sugar as a quick low-fat dessert.

No-bake rocky road chocolate creme pie loaded with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips in a chocolate cookie crust. A pudding-mix shortcut dessert that comes together in 20 minutes plus a quick chill.