Strawberry

This sophisticated blend of strawberries, red-currant jelly, balsamic vinegar, and bay leaves may just replace chocolate sauce as your favorite ice cream topping.

This recipe was created by chef Michael Kornick of MK Restaurant in Chicago. It's part of a special menu he created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art, by Tom Gilliland, Miguel Ravago, and Virginia B. Wood. . This traditional wine punch presents the opportunity to turn robust jug wine and fresh seasonal fruits into a festive party drink. The recipe includes a mix of firm fruits (such as seedless grapes, apple slices, pear slices) and soft fruits (like strawberries, peaches, and kiwi). The soft fruits are added to the glasses at serving time.

This no-hassle mix-and-bake dessert is like the old-fashioned cake Grandma always had ready after dinner, even though you never saw her working on it.

Make this dessert, from Jesus Gonzalez, creative chef at Rancho La Puerta. Then kick back while it chills.

A semifreddo is a frozen, molded mousse. Here, we combine it with a walnut-shortbread crust for a tart that celebrates the coming of spring fruit.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from chef Paul Flynn of The Tannery in Dungarvan, Ireland. This dish is Flynn's contemporary take on a classic English dessert called Eton Mess. Traditionally, the recipe calls for whipped cream and crumbled meringues to be chilled together, then topped with fresh fruit. Flynn's twist is to freeze the meringue and cream base, making it a cooler contrast for the juicy berries. If time is short, feel free to substitute store-bought meringues rather than making them from scratch. Use eight 2-inch shells. Begin preparing this recipe one day ahead.

Chef Michael Schlow of Boston's Via Matta created this dish for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. The sweet and tangy strawberries are delicious on their own, but for a more decadent dessert, serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

**Editor's note:**This recipe is reprinted from Rose Hammick's and Charlotte Packer's book Great Parties for Kids. For Hammick's and Packer's tips on throwing a kids' summer party, click here. Make the fruit kabobs a day in advance and keep them in the fridge. The sauces can also be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for 2 days.

Chef-owner Michael Mina of Michael Mina restaurant in San Francisco created this recipe for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. He recommends using local strawberries whenever possible.

This mildly spiked dessert is so easy to put together, it will quickly become one of your summer-entertaining standbys.

A light syrup, laced with the refreshing lemony-floral taste of verbena, and a scoop of cassis sorbet amplify the tug-of-war between sweet and tart in a bowl of mixed summer fruits.

This rich, creamy chocolate sauce is perfect on ripe strawberries, but it's so versatile it might also be just what your favorite dessert has been missing.

Now's the perfect time for strawberries at their peak, and here is a way to celebrate all their fabulous flavor.

Roasting the berries intensifies their flavor. Try substituting basil for the tarragon.

Make this tart the day before serving to give it enough time to set.

The ultimate strawberry shortcake: A bit of brown sugar adds depth of flavor to the biscuits, lemon and mint perk up the berries, and the cream is even more luscious with the addition of white chocolate.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Michele Adams's and Gia Russo's book Wedding Showers: Ideas & Recipes for the Perfect Party. Little squares of cake make perfect individual portions. We used our favorite combination of berries picked at their peak, but feel free to use any fruit in season. Bake two days in advance and assemble a few hours before the party.