ice cream cake
Your go-to summer showstopper: Line a spaghetti pot with plastic wrap, then layer it with softened ice cream, your favorite cookies, fruits, nuts ... anything you'd put on a sundae. Freeze it for a couple of hours. Remove the cake by slipping a warm knife around the edge and flipping it onto a rimmed platter.
summer pudding
Line a deep bowl with plastic wrap and crustless slices of day-old white bread. Simmer 1 cup of mixed summer berries until they release their juices, 10 minutes. Pour them into the mold and top with more bread, using a plate to smush everything together. Refrigerate overnight, then flip onto a rimmed plate.
grilled fruit
The rule of thumb: Pineapple and any fruit with a pit will work on the grill. Place halved mangoes, peaches, plums, or apricots flesh-side down on an oiled grate until they look caramelized (start checking after 1 minute). Serve with vanilla or rum-raisin ice cream, or old-fashioned orange sherbet.
frozen grapes
Remove grapes from their produce bag, wash them, and place them in the freezer. Done. Even 30 minutes will elevate them to a chewy, slushy candy. Use any kind (these are muscat), as long as they have no seeds—but point the grapes out to parents, who might need to cut them in half for toddlers.
