Frozen Treats

If you're going to take on an ambitious dessert, it had better look and taste spectacular. This is one of those creations — a dome of cake filled with alternating layers of almond and pistachio mousses, fresh raspberries, and finished with billows of whipped cream. It comes to the table looking like a great white snowdrift studded with fresh raspberries.

Granita is the crunchy cousin to sorbet, more rustic, and for me, more satisfying. 

Tangy yogurt bursting with the electrifying scent of tart lemon.

These creamy pops are like a smoothie on a stick.

The honey in this recipe offers a two-fer -- not only does its ambrosial sweetness play beautifully with fragrant melon and fresh mint, it also keeps the puree from freezing solid, making it easier to scrape the granita into a gorgeous, fluffy pile of sweet snow, even in the middle of summer.

Because this recipe has so few ingredients, it's critical that every element be at its best.