New, fresh desserts that are simple to whip up for company. I've done grilled fruit, what's new that's interesting and fun for a Sunday afternoon cookout?

Hmmm... I'm quite savoury-oriented; I like just a little bite of something sweet after a meal, rather than a full-sized dessert. I would appreciate ideas for small tasty morsels, or desserts that would keep well to be spread out across a few days.

Looking forward to all the dessert coverage! :)

I would love a tutorial on tempering chocolate that doesn't require the use of a microwave (since I don't have one). Also any recommendations on a good candy thermometer that really, truly works! Mine keep crapping out on me.
And some good, interesting flavor combinations that aren't the usual- combining some barely sweet with savory. Using spices that normally aren't for desserts.

Thanks!

I'd love some ideas for an approachable after-dinner cheese plate. I love baking, but sometimes I'd rather focus on cooking a nice meal than the dessert. This would be a simple alternative.

Praise the Food Gods! Dessert is my favorite meal of the day!

@Tallsarah, I have an analogue candy thermometer I bought at the grocery store eons ago and it works like a charm to this day. It's one of the long glass ones. Only thing with them is that you must test to see if it reads correctly the first time you use it. Boil water and make sure (if you're not at high altitude) the thermometer reads 212. If not, remember to adjust as necessary.

I would love to see single serving desserts or desserts for 2 people. All of my recipes assume you're feeding 6 or more people but sometimes I want dessert and it's just me.

I am a HUGE lover of dessert, both making it and eating it! I love recipes for all kinds of sweet things. I will be a very captive audience for this week's posts!!

I heart dessert.

Yay, dessert is my favorite meal of the day! I'd love some tips for baking improvisation, for example:
- What kinds of substitutes can I make, to make things healthier or to make up for missing ingredients (yogurt for sour cream, low-fat milk for cream, vinegar for cream of tartar, applesauce for butter/oil, etc)?
- Will it ever "ruin" a baked good (for example, it won't rise) if I simply decrease the amount of sugar in the recipe?
- What's the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
- What's the optimal ratio of baking soda/powder to flour? What about if I substitute cocoa powder or nut meal for some of the flour?

I agree with statgrrl's recommendations above. I actually just tried to make Rhubarb Bars, and added 1/2 cup applesauce at the end to create Rhubarb-Apple Bars, but it ended up shapeless and runny (I'm calling it a 'crumble' instead!). Still delicious, nonetheless; but would love a tutorial on the science behind the ratio of wet-dry ingredients to create the perfect, baked dessert.

I'm with statgrrl and newREcook. The underlying science, whether in the form of chemistry or more tips/tricks explanations. I'd like to know more about reducing sugar in baked goods (I don't need sweetness, but sugar effects texture and rise and stuff, no?), using whole wheat flour or other flours instead of white (when might it work?). I'd love a brown-rice puding recipe that's as easy as the simple slow-baked one that was on here a few months back.
Can I throw together my dry ingredients the day before (in average baked good) and store in tupperware until I'm ready to finish the recipe?

I also look into making things healthier and have realized cutting down and subsituting can work ok with recipes that aren't as fussy like macarons. 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 butter works in most bar cookies and cakes. You can put as much as a quarter whole wheat flour into choc chip cookies or brownies with little change in texture. On the sugar note I've had success with decreasing it by a little bit in cookie recipes like 1 1/4 cups vs 1 1/2, or in quick breads but not too much with cake. I would like to know if these subsitutions could be made with tarts and pies and other types of desserts.
Also you had the awesome black bean brownies and one ingredient ice cream-- healthy and delicious! Any more like that?

Desserts with fruit are always welcome for summer. And who can resist a good chocolate dessert? So those are my requests - fruit desserts and chocolate desserts. Or a tasty combination of the 2 perhaps.... yum!