Pies are grand, tarts are smart and cobblers are scrumptious, but if you’ve got an abundance of summer berries and no time to bake, consider one of these simply delicious options.

GRATIN OF BERRIES WITH SWEET CHEESE TOPPING

Ripe summer berries are topped with dollops of sweetened goat cheese and run under the broiler. What could possibly be simpler or more delicious? If you have lots of fruit and need to feed more people, simply use a larger dish and increase things accordingly.

Serves 4

Softened butter for baking dish

2 cups blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, blackberries or a combination

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2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh goat cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons half-and-half

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons granulated brown sugar or dark brown sugar

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Generously butter a 1-quart gratin dish or other shallow broiler-proof baking dish. Spread berries over the bottom of the dish.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, half-and-half, granulated sugar and vanilla and blend with a fork or small whisk until smooth. Spoon dollops over the fruit. (Can be prepared up to several hours ahead to this point. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle dessert with the brown sugar.

Place dish in the preheated oven and bake until the fruit starts to release its juices and the cheese begins to melt, 10 to 12 minutes.

Serve warm directly from the baking dish.

LEMON BLUEBERRY MOUSSE

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Adapted from my former writing partner Melanie Barnard’s terrific dessert book “Short and Sweet,” this light lemony mousse is typical of her ingenious way of creating quickly made desserts by combining quality purchased ingredients with fresh elements.

You can find lemon curd in the supermarket near the jams and jellies. If you don’t have blueberries, you can substitute almost any other berry.

Serves 5 to 6

1 cup purchased lemon curd

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

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1/8 teaspoon ground mace

1 cup chilled heavy cream

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1½ cups blueberries

Mint sprigs

In a medium bowl, whisk the lemon curd with the lemon zest and juice and mace.

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In another medium bowl, whip the cream with the sugar until it just begins to form stiff peaks. Gently whisk about one-third of the cream into the curd to lighten, then fold in the remaining cream and 1 cup of the berries.

Spoon into an attractive glass serving bowl or into individual stemmed glasses. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 4 hours.

Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup blueberries before serving and garnish with mint sprigs.

Brooke Dojny is author or co-author of more than a dozen cookbooks, most recently “Chowderland: Hearty Soups & Stews with Sides and Salads to Match.” She lives on the Blue Hill peninsula, and can be contacted via Facebook at:

facebook.com/brookedojny


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