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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil. Whisk oil and honey in a large bowl. Add figs; toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on prepared sheet. Sprinkle with salt.

2. Roast in the oven until fragrant and caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes. Immediately loosen figs from sheet with a metal spatula. Let figs cool slightly, loosening again after 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter; serve with grapes.

frozen desserts

apricot sherbet

SERVES 8

Serve this sherbet with Almond Meringue Wafers (recipe follows).

1½ pounds very ripe small apricots (about 12)

1 cup sugar

¼ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)

1½ cups nonfat buttermilk

1 cup milk

1. Quarter the apricots, and remove the pits. Place the apricot quarters in a food processor, and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add the sugar, corn syrup, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and macerate about 1 hour in the refrigerator.

2. Pass the apricot mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl; discard the solids. Whisk in the buttermilk and milk. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours.

3. Freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container; freeze up to 4 days.

almond meringue wafers

MAKES 2 DOZEN

4¼ ounces sliced almonds (about 1¼ cups)

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

2. In a food processor, pulse about 1 cup almonds with ½ cup sugar until the almonds are finely ground. Add the flour, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites, salt, vanilla, and remaining ¼ cup sugar until soft and shiny peaks form. Gently fold into the dry ingredients until just blended.

4. Drop the batter by the tablespoon, about 1½ inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Arrange 3 sliced almonds on top of each cookie.

5. Bake the cookies until the edges are lightly browned, about 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks. Let cool completely before serving. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

rhubarb and strawberry ice cream

MAKES 1 QUART

Unlike many ice cream recipes, this one does not contain eggs.

1 pound trimmed rhubarb, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3½ cups)

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons water

8 ounces ripe strawberries

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons kirsch

1. Place the rhubarb, ½ cup sugar, and the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low; let simmer, stirring frequently, until rhubarb is very tender and beginning to fall apart, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a bowl; set aside.

2. Place the strawberries in the bowl of a food processor; puree. Strain through a fine sieve or chinois into a bowl; set aside.

3. Scald the cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not let boil. Remove from heat, add the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the cooked rhubarb, strawberry puree, cream mixture, and kirsch. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

frozen lemon mousse

SERVES 8

This mousse can be made up to 3 days before serving. Ring molds may be purchased at specialty cookware stores. You can also use an 8-inch springform pan.

8 to 10 lemons

2 cups sugar

8 large egg yolks, plus 2 whole eggs

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into pieces

1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled

Candied Lemon Zest (recipe follows)

1 8-ounce container cr