Fruits

This citrus salad requires only that you overcome the notion that salads must be green; it’s a novel and wonderful antidote to sorry-looking lettuce. If you’re lucky and can find blood oranges, use them; same with the odd, supremely delicious and usually quite pricey pomelos.

The idea is a combination of grapefruit (I like pink), oranges (navels, though common, are terrific) and tangerines or clementines: any citrus fruit that’s more sweet than sour.

Instead of apples, you can make this with Bartlett or Anjou pears. Peel and halve them, cut out the cores, and chop them coarsely.

Fruit salad, often left to the folks at the supermarket, can achieve dressy status with fresh mint, a drizzle of lime juice, and honey. Rather than tossing this salad in a bowl, melons and berries are arranged on a platter and sprinkled with lime juice, honey, and fresh mint.

If the idea of tomatoes and watermelon together sounds odd to you, this dish will be a revelation. There is a saying that what grows together goes together, and in this case it is true. If you think of tomatoes as a fruit, which they are botanically, this combination makes more sense. Seasonality, however, is the key. I make this salad only in the summer, when tomatoes, watermelon, and cucumbers are at their peak of flavor. Rich, creamy Hass avocadoes are included to lend a nice contrast of flavor and texture.

If you make the crisp topping in large quantities and freeze it, this dessert can be as simple as slicing up some fruit. Just store the topping in a large container or zipper-lock bag. When you need a quick dessert, scoop out the required amount (about two cups for the quantity of fruit in this recipe), sprinkle it over the prepared fruit, and bake.

Chocolate chips add a sweet counterpoint to these tangy bright-pink raspberry pops. Strawberries would work equally well.