No cinnamon, no cloves -- this sauce is straight up apple, mainlined to your belly.

This recipe is from Melissa Clark's new book, Cook This Now. It's pecan pie that's taken a little walk on the wild side: Melissa uses maple syrup instead of the more traditional corn syrup and infuses it with star anise and a little rum. Best of all? Her crust is tender and flaky, as well as easy to handle.

Years and years (and years and years) ago I worked at a Brazilian restaurant where we served a rich avocado shake. I had never had a sweet avocado anything but was instantly sold. This gelato's roots start there, and evolve with amazing vanilla beans I got at the market in Aix, big beautiful farmer's markets eggs, milk and cream. It is impossibly rich and creamy and I think fairly irresistible. And yes, I misspelled it on purpose because rhyming is fun!

Moon Pies (or MoonPies), often associated with the southern part of the U.S., are usually two round graham crackers with a marshmallow crème filling, and dipped in chocolate (or other flavored coatings). While it is probably hard to get the exact flavor and texture of commercial moon pies, this homemade version is more far more wholesome and uses no high fructose corn syrup.

You'll never believe that this shake is made with as few ingredients as it is, or that they're all so ridiculously wholesome. Feel free to experiment a little with the non-dairy milk base you use, as well as the nut butter (cashew, coconut, and sunflower seed butter will all work; so will peanut butter, though the taste will be strong). This is a good recipe to treat more as a template than a prescription.

When I was a kid, my dad used to set bananas on fire in the frying pan by pouring alcohol on them. It was a little stunt he had and we were madly impressed every time. We asked him to do it often, even though we actually weren’t too fond of the taste of the bananas. Today I have grown to love those flavors. I don’t set my peaches on fire, but I think they make a pretty good dessert anyway.

A delicate, not-too-sweet ice cream that's (almost) instant gratification.

Crostata is what happens when Tart and Pie sneak off into a dark corner when no one is looking. The tart can be made one of two ways: with the crust rustically tucked up the sides like a loose pouch (similar to a galette), or with a loose, lattice top. I include the instructions here for the lattice version. This shorter, slightly more rustic variation of Italian origin features a buttery, almost shortbread-like crust that is just as much a part of the dessert as the cognac-macerated fruit filling. Though I chose a fresh fruit filling, these are also commonly filled with jams and fruit preserves making it an ideal winter tart.