DATES WITH MASCARPONE: Buy really good, juicy dates, halve and
pit them, and spread the cut sides with mascarpone. These are seriously
delicious and truly the easiest thing ever.

GRILLED CHOCOLATE SANDWICHES: Put a layer of roughly
chopped dark chocolate between two slices of brioche and cook in butter, as
you would a grilled cheese sandwich, sprinkling the sandwich with sugar as it
cooks so that it gets crunchy and caramelized.

PINEAPPLE WITH PASSION FRUIT: Cut a ripe pineapple into cubes
and put them on a serving platter. Scoop the pulp out of two or three ripe
passion fruits onto the pineapple and serve. (Keep in mind a ripe passion fruit
should look dry and crinkly and not at all attractive—that’s how you know
it’s good!)

ICE CREAM WITH OLIVE OIL AND SALT: Top scoops of vanilla ice
cream or gelato with a generous pour of grassy olive oil and a pinch of flaky
salt. Seriously good!

VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH JAM: Serve scoops of vanilla ice cream
with spoonfuls of jam. Mix the two together as you eat. Amazingly easy and
good. My favorite is rhubarb jam for this—the combination tastes like pie à
la mode.

ANY FLAVOR SEMIFREDDO:Let a 1-pt [473-ml] container of whatever
flavor ice cream you love soften at room temperature until it’s almost but not
quite melted. Meanwhile, whip 1
1/2 cups [360 ml] heavy cream until it forms
stiff peaks. Fold the two together and transfer to a plastic wrap–lined loaf
pan. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours. Invert the
semifreddo onto a cutting board, remove the plastic, and slice (a knife dipped
in hot water makes easy work of this). Let the slices soften a bit before
serving.

PEACHES IN COLD WHITE WINE: Slice ripe peaches into halves or
wedges (you can peel them first if you like) and put them in individual glass
dishes. Cover with cold white wine and refrigerate for about 1 hour before
serving.