Compote

Use this fruit compote to fill pastries, spoon over ice cream, or mix into smoothies.

We usually rail against kitchen tools that do only one thing and take up precious drawer space, but cherry pitters earn their keep as far as we are concerned.

This compote would be quite fine on toast.

Dark sweet cherries and apple cider lend sweetness and depth to this bourbon-and-black-pepper-spiked cranberry sauce.

When apple season hits but peaches still linger at the market, it's time for a standout condiment to round out a main course or dessert.

Spoon this quick dessert sauce of fall-spiced grapes over pound cake or ice cream.

Tart, sour, and just as refreshing as ye olde cranberry sauce.

Rhubarb's natural tartness is balanced by the sweetness of the brown sugar and raisins, creating the perfect foil to cut through rich meats.

You will need to make this colorful dessert at least 8 hours in advance. If you want to stretch it to serve 12, spoon a half-cup of fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt into each bowl and top each serving with a half-cup of Spiced Fruit.

Julie Robles, one of the first cooks at Lucques and later the chef de cuisine at A.O.C., came up with this delicious savory (as opposed to sweet) cherry compote. This time of year I go crazy for cherries and also serve this compote on roast pork or with an assertive cheese like Taleggio.

In Italy, there are many variations of semifreddo, which, literally translated, means “partially frozen.” Sometimes a semifreddo is made from sponge cake layered with slightly frozen cream; other times it’s cake-free, simply a lighter version of ice cream. At Lucques, we make this semifreddo from an uncooked “custard” base that has beaten egg whites (to make it buoyant and light) and whipped cream (to prevent it from freezing completely) folded into it. The result is a creamy frozen dessert that doesn’t require an ice cream maker or a true custard cooked at the stovetop. Strawberry and rhubarb are a classic combination, but though it’s tempting to temper the sourness of the rhubarb with sweet strawberries, I prefer the intense mouth-puckering quality of rhubarb on its own. This is a great party dessert since you can prepare all the components ahead of time.