Banana

Editor's note: The recipe below is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Lake Austin Spa Resort. This is arguably Mexico's most famous special occasion cake. Tres leches means three milks — typically heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk. Our version opts for a lighter more tropical soaking — reduced-fat coconut milk, fat-free sweetened condensed milk, and skim milk. You would think that all of this fluid infusion would turn the cake to sodden disintegration. But, in fact, it absorbs the liquids beautifully, much as does the equatorial earth absorb a sudden downpour. Accompanied by rum-caramelized bananas and topped with toasted coconut, this cake has become our most popular new dessert.

Even die-hard chocolate lovers won't miss the hot fudge in these sensational sundaes.

Editor's note: This recipe is from chef Khalid Mohammed of Battimamzelle in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Mohammed also shared some helpful tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. Buljol, a popular Trinidadian breakfast dish, is a cold salad made from salted codfish. In his Trini-fusion version, Mohammed substitutes squid and locally abundant conch and adds green "figs" (green bananas, called by their local name, and "soused," or pickled, a traditional cooking method). He finishes the dish with the tomato chokha, a local sauce.

This treat requires very little work and is a great make-ahead dessert.

Missy Johnson of Fairway, Kansas, writes: "My husband and i had a wonderful spiced banana ice cream at bluestem, in Kansas City, Missouri. Do you think the pastry chef would share the recipe?"

Healthy bonus: Manganese from fruit; antioxidants and fiber from berries; selenium from egg

This pie, an easy take on toffee with bananas (hence the name), made its debut at The Hungry Monk, a pub in England, in 1972. Traditional recipes involve boiling unopened cans of condensed milk, but since that sometimes results in explosions, we thought you might prefer our method.

Named for the four fruits that go into this recipe, the drink is a refreshing accompaniment to brunch at Sarabeth's restaurant in New York.

Serve immediately as a thick maltlike drink or a soft "ice cream."

This tastes like a thick, rich ice cream shake, but it's virtually fat-free.

Try this healthful and satisfying drink in chilled glasses on a warm summer day.

This simple and refreshing drink comes from the CuisinArt Resort & Spa.

Here's a great breakfast or after-workout cooler that's ready in seconds and tastes as good as one you'd get at a juice bar.