A light, fruit filled dessert that can be served any time of year using whatever fruits are in season at the time. For this variation, the raspberry puree is incorporated with the ricotta mixture. This creates an added level of flavor as well as a beautiful color contrast with the apricots and cake.

1 angel food cake
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 envelope, unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup warm water
1 pound fresh apricots (see note)
1/4 cup St. Supéry Moscato

In a food processor, puree ricotta cheese until very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. This helps reduce the dry consistency of the cheese and makes it more creamy. Add raspberries and honey, puree until smooth. Transfer to bowl; fold in yogurt. In a cup, combine gelatin and water and stir until dissolved. Add gelatin to raspberry mixture and stir to incorporate. Place bowl in refrigerator. Slice apricots into thin wedges, about 8 per fruit. Place in bowl with Moscato and toss. Set aside. Divide raspberry mixture and apricots into 3 equal portions. Slice cake into 3 equally thick layers. Place first layer of cake on plate. Place a layer of apricots on top. Top apricots with thin layer of raspberry mixture. Do another layer of cake, apricots, raspberry and finish with a top layer of cake. Cover cake with plastic and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour. Also refrigerate remaining apricots and raspberry mixture. When ready to serve, slice cake into equal portions and serve topped with raspberry mixture and apricots.

Makes 10 servings.

Note: Try to obtain ripe apricots for this dish. If you prefer to use canned fruits, be sure they are packed in juices and not heavy syrup.

The slight bit of "wanginess" (a technical culinary term) of the goat cheese adds a whole new dimension to the cheesecake and tones down the completely rich sweetness of it. The almond crust also brings in some fun flavors, which enhance the Moscato. This is a sure-fire winner at any dinner, and it is really quite easy to prepare.

1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
5 tablespoons corn starch
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 pounds cream cheese
3/4 pound goat cheese
4 whole large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 300 F. Place springform pan on a 14-inch square piece of foil. Fold excess foil up sides of pans (this will help seal pan when placed in water bath). Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with pan with parchment paper, or coat well with butter. In a food processor combine almonds and sugar and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and pulse until well incorporated (may add more butter if you feel the mixture is not moist enough). Press almond mixture into base of pan. Place pan in oven and bake for 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl combine cornstarch and sugar. Add cheeses to sugar and cream together with spatula or in electric mixing bowl using the paddle attachment. In a separate bowl, combine, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and lemon zest. Slowly add this to the cheese mixture and incorporate well. Add heavy cream and mix well. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Place springform pan into a larger pan and fill with 1-inch of water to form a water bath. Place in 300 F oven for one hour and 15 minutes. Remove when the center is almost set (want some springiness). Let cool to room temperature then cover and place in refrigerator to chill overnight. Unmold the next day.

Makes one 10-inch cake.

The great thing about this dish is that pears are available almost year round. Because the pears are poached they can be under ripe and still turn out great. Also, the creaminess of the mascarpone cheese is a great contrast to the clean, fruity flavors of the Moscato.

6 large pears
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
4 fresh mint leaves
1 whole clove
2/3cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup nonfat cream cheese
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
1/2 biscotti cookie

Wash and dry pears. Place in a deep pan, standing upright. Add water to pan, enough to cover pears up to stem. Add sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, mint and clove. Place pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cover pan. Let simmer about 30 minutes. Pears should be cooked but still retain shape. Remove pears from pan. Strain poaching liquid to remove lemon, cloves and mint. Return liquid to pan and place back on medium-low heat and reduce until a thick syrup is formed. This will take well over an hour typically. Remove pan from heat. As it cools it will thicken more. In a medium bowl combine mascarpone, cream cheese, honey, sugar and liqueur. Refrigerate until needed. Peal pears and cut in half. Remove seeds and core with paring knife or spoon. Stuff hollowed centers with cheese filling. Top with a little crumbled biscotti. Drizzle sauce over pears or put sauce on plate and place pears on top.

Makes 6 servings.

Pineapple and Lychee Sorbet
Pair with St. Supéry Moscato

This dish came as an inspiration after my trip to Singapore. The lychee nut is a traditional Chinese fruit and the pineapple is common in such tropical climes (though very little of anything is grown in Singapore). Sorbet is so easy to do and so refreshing and these fun fruits really seemed to fit well in the hot summer months, though sorbet is good any time of year, especially with a glass of Moscato washing it down.

1 ripe pineapple
20 fresh or canned lychee
2 lemons approximately
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and core pineapple. Cut into chunks. Peel lychees and remove pits (or drained canned lychee) and add to pineapple. Place both in food processor and puree. Strain to obtain juices. Add the juice of both lemons. Measure juice and add 6 tablespoons superfine sugar per cup of juice. Add vanilla and stir well until sugar is dissolved. Place in ice cream maker for about 1 1/2 hours then put in freezer until frozen.

Makes 6 servings.

Cilantro pesto, rahk pahk chee-gratiem-prik thai in Thai, is a classic seasoning of Thai cuisine. With chili peppers and shrimp paste, it's the foundation of Thailand's complex curry pastes. 1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground preferred)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and stems
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh garlic
1 pound medium shrimp, raw
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fresh or canned broth (vegetable, fish or chicken) Combine black pepper, cilantro and garlic. Finely chop with knife or food processor or pulverize in a mortar with pestle. Set aside. Peel and rinse shrimp (leave tip of tail shell on if desired). Heat a large pan on medium heat. Add oil and heat. Add shrimp and stir to cook through. Just as shrimp turn pink and opaque add pesto and broth. Stir well and coat shrimp. When everything is heated through, remover from heat and serve over rice or noodles with a glass of St. Supéry Moscato Makes 4 servings.

Spicy Melon Salsa
Pair with St. Supéry Moscato

This salsa is a great accompaniment to chicken, fish or pork using fresh melons at their peak of ripeness. The fresh fruit flavors of the Moscato work wonderfully with the melon. The sweetness of the wine also helps to balances the spiciness of the peppers.

4 cups assorted melons – cut into 1/4” cubes (sharlyn, honeydew, cantaloupe, crenshaw)
2 teaspoons Serrano chilies – minced (or use Jalapeno if you like a little less spice)
1 teaspoon fresh garlic – minced
3 tablespoons fresh mint – chopped fine
4 tablespoons roasted peanuts – coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Combine all ingredients and gently mix. Refrigerate for at least two hours to allow the flavors to blend.
Make 4 cups