Take a chill pill

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10-inch cake mold or pan of 6 individual-sized angel-food molds and dust with cake flour. In a stainless steel bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt. Slowly add the sugar and whip to soft peaks. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice. Fold in the cake flour. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with an open tip. Pipe the batter into the molds. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let cool in the molds, and then remove to a baking rack.

Peppermint ice cream

2cups half-and-half

1cup sugar

2cups spearmint or peppermint leaves (see note)

6extra-large egg yolks

2cups heavy cream

1/4teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4teaspoon peppermint extract

1 1/2cups peppermint hard candies or peppermint sticks (with red and white stripes), plus extra for garnish

To make the ice cream, in a non-corrosive saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the half-and-half, sugar and mint leaves and bring just to a simmer. Transfer from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and return the cream to the saucepan, discarding mint leaves.

In a stainless steel bowl, temper the yolks by gradually whisking about 1 cup of the cream mixture into the yolks. Add the yolk mixture to the saucepan with the cream mixture and heat over medium heat until the mixture coats a spoon. Do not boil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and add the heavy cream and the vanilla and peppermint extracts. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Chop the peppermint hard candies by pulsing in a food processor. If using a commercial ice cream maker, fold the chopped candies into the ice cream as it comes out of the ice-cream maker, or if using a home ice-cream maker, fold the candies in during the last minute of freezing. Return the ice cream to the freezer for 1 hour before serving.

Note: If mint leaves are unavailable, use 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract.

8ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1cup heavy cream

1teaspoon sugar

1tablespoon butter

Pinch of salt

Chocolate mint sticks, for garnish

To make the fudge sauce, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring all of the ingredients to a simmer, whisking frequently. Keep warm.

To serve, ladle some hot fudge in the center of each of 6 plates and place a slice of cake or an individual cake on the fudge. Ladle on some more hot fudge and top with a scoop of peppermint ice cream. Garnish with the peppermint candies and chocolate mint sticks.

Makes one 10-inch cake or 6 individual-sized cakes.

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Marcel Desaulniers, executive chef and co-owner of The Trellis restaurant in Williamsburg, Va., is also known as a successful cookbook author, especially for desserts, with “Death By Chocolate” among his most successful titles.

He’s chosen a recipe from the selection to be included in his next book, “Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas,” scheduled for publication in the fall.

“The pleasant surprise of enjoying cranberry-enhanced ice cream anytime of the year was the reason I chose this ice cream,” he said. “Frozen cranberries are available any month of the year, making this ice cream treat a reality.”

2cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries

1cup granulated sugar

1/8cup orange juice

1/4tablespoon orange zest

8ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/2cups half-and-half

2cups heavy cream

3large eggs

Heat the cranberries with 1/4 cup sugar, and the orange juice and orange zest, in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a simmer and adjust the heat so the mixture will simmer until the cranberries burst and the mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cranberry mixture to a nonreactive container, then cool uncovered in the refrigerator.

Melt the chopped white chocolate and 1/2 cup of half-and-half in the top half of a double boiler or in a medium glass bowl in a microwave oven, and stir until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the heavy cream and the remaining 1 cup of half-and-half with 1/4 cup of sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, about 5 to 6 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Ladle 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, into the egg mixture and whisk gently to incorporate.

Pour the egg and cream mixture into the remaining cream mixture in the saucepan and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the melted chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a temperature of 185 degrees (use a digital thermometer for an accurate temperature reading of the mixture). Pour the chocolate mixture through a fine gauge strainer into a large bowl. Cool in an ice-water bath to a temperature of 40 to 45 degrees.

When the mixture is cold, freeze in an ice-cream machine following the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the semifrozen ice cream to a 2-quart plastic container. Fold in the chilled cranberry mixture until evenly distributed. Securely cover the container, then place in the freezer for several hours before serving.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

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David Kinkead is executive chef and co-owner with his brother Bob of the popular restaurant whimsically named Sibling Rivalry, in Boston. His shared recipe also has a seasonal flavor.

“We are very lucky in Boston to have such great farmers,” he says. “I enjoy going to the farmers market and buying whatever looks fresh. The berries and peaches are in full season, so I thought the buckle with fresh fruit would make a refreshing dessert.

“For the ice cream, I really think ginger and blackberries go well together, and add a nice contract to the warm dough of the buckle.”

Fruit mixture:

6white peaches, sliced thin

1pint blackberries

1/2cup sugar

1/4cup corn starch or flour

Splash of orange juice

Mix all ingredients together and allow to sit about 10 to 15 minutes, for the juices to macerate.

1/2pound butter (2 sticks), room temperature

1cup sugar

1/2cup all-purpose flour

1/2cup cake flour

1/2teaspoon baking powder

3ounces (6 tablespoons) heavy cream

Raw sugar for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a stand-mixer bowl, using a paddle, cream together butter and sugar just long enough to form a smooth batter (if whipped too long butter gets too much air and turns almost white). Add flour and baking powder and slowly start mixing. When it starts to come together, slowly add cream until just mixed and smooth, being careful not to overmix. Chill.

Divide dough in half, and roll each half out into rectangle to fit greased 8-by-8-inch cake pan. Place one sheet on the bottom. Fill with fruit, and place the other on top. Sprinkle top with raw sugar. Bake at 350 degree until dark golden and bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to sit and cool at least 20 minutes before cutting into.

Serve warm, topped with blackberry-ginger ice cream.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

1tablespoon fresh ginger, rough chopped

2cups heavy cream

2cups whole milk

6egg yolks

1/2cup sugar

1pint blackberries

Heat together ginger, cream and milk to almost boiling. Off heat, allow to steep at least 15 minutes. Mix together yolks and sugar, and slowly whisk in hot liquid. Return mixture to pot. Cook over medium-low heat, carefully stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a rubber spatula. Cook to 180 degrees on instant-read thermometer, or until liquid appears slightly thickened. Strain mixture with fine-mesh colander, and allow to cool over ice bath. Refrigerate custard at least 4 hours for best results. Following home ice-cream machine directions, make ice cream. Once soft set, fold in blackberries. Return to freezer at least 2 hours to set up.

Or use store-bought good quality vanilla ice cream, allow to sit out and soften about 5 to 10 minutes, and fold in fresh blackberries.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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From Kansas City, Mo., comes a honey-ginger ice cream created by Megan Garrelts, pastry chef and co-owner of Bluestem restaurant. The dessert’s nice contrasts of warm fruit, ice cream and crunch of warm crumbly topping are very much a personal taste.

“These are my favorite summer flavors,” Garrelts said in a phone interview. “Also, I find nectarines bake better than peaches and they’re a little more acidic.”

She gets local honey at the farmers market when it’s available and suggests that other cooks do the same.

The ice cream recipe will make more than you will need for the four servings of the dessert, she said, so you can look forward to second helpings later.

“The sugar cookie crust bakes up rather like a crumble topping,” that you sprinkle over the ice cream on top of the fruit, she said.

1quart heavy cream

2cups whole milk

1cup brown sugar

1cup Missouri honey (or your favorite local honey)

1tablespoon fresh grated ginger root

12egg yolks

In a large saucepan combine cream, milk, brown sugar, honey and freshly grated ginger. Warm over medium heat, stirring to infuse the honey and ginger into the cream and dissolve the sugar, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the egg yolks in a large stainless steel bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg yolks. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl and chill, either over an ice bath, stirring for at least 10 minutes to cool it completely, or overnight in the refrigerator.

Once the ice-cream base is chilled, process in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze.

Makes 21/2 quarts of churned ice cream (10 cups).

21/4cups flour

1 1/2teaspoons baking powder

1teaspoon salt

9ounces unsalted butter (21/4 sticks)

11/4cup sugar

1teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2lemon, juiced and zest

1egg

Powdered sugar for garnish

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside. Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon. Add the egg to the creamed mixture. Add the flour mixture in thirds and mix well. Form the dough into a flat disc and chill the dough until firm.

Cut the firm dough into small cubes and sprinkle the cubes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Sprinkle the dough cubes close enough together to form a large crumbly disc once baked.

Sprinkle the cubes with cinnamon sugar and bake at 325 degrees until slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Keep warm.

4nectarines

1/8cup brandy

1/4cup sweet white wine

1/4teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4cup sugar

1tablespoon unsalted butter

Butter and sugar a shallow roasting pan. Split the nectarines in half and remove the pit. Place the nectarines in the roasting pan face up.

In a small bowl, mix together the brandy, sweet wine and vanilla. Pour the wine mixture over the nectarines. Sprinkle the sugar over the fruit and dot with the butter. Cover the pan with foil and roast the fruit at 300 degrees until the fruit is tender, but still holds a shape, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and keep fruit warm for serving.

To assemble: Place 2 warm nectarine halves in each bowl. Scoop honey ginger ice cream on top. Sprinkle with crumbled warm cookie crust. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Makes 4 servings.