Chocolate and orange is a combination that you either love or hate. For some, the slight acidity of the citrus works really well with chocolate, both milk and dark, while others find the tastes to be dissonant. Fanny, from Food Beam, was a member of the latter camp until she decided to try making Bill Granger's Chocolate and Mandarin Cake. The cake is a nearly flourless chocolate cake, made rich with ground almonds and a bit of mandarin orange zest. There isn't enough zest to make the orange flavor overwhelming, although the bright flavor does come through the deeply flavored cake and is helped along by serving the cake with slices of mandarin. The only thing that Fanny doesn't share is what motivated her to go against her usual inclinations and try the recipe in the first place. Whatever her reason, it seems like it was a success.

Fruit tarts make a lovely, tasty dessert during the summer, in no small part because fresh fruit and berries are incredibly beautiful and the presentation is hard to beat. The fresh fruit choices for tarts don't have to be limited to raspberries and strawberries, as Fanny from Food Beam illustrates with her stunning Mango Tart, which was derived from Bill Granger's recipe in Sydney Food. The tart has a crumbly shortcrust base, almost like a shortbread biscuit, and is filled with a creamy, vanilla custard. The fresh, ripe mangoes are sliced into thin strips and layered on top, their flavor blending with the smooth custard and their texture contrasting nicely with the shell of the tart. Since the tart base can be prepared in advance, this is a relatively simple dessert that would make a lovely addition to any meal on a hot day. And if you can't resist using some more traditional berries, you can easily substitute them for the mango in this recipe.

Today is Bastille Day, the French holiday that celebrates the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the start of the modern nation of France. Since the French colors are red, white and blue, what better way to celebrate than with a red, white and blue dessert? This beautiful vanilla and berry cake was made by Fanny from Food Beam and, while she made it in honor of France making it to the World Cup finals, it is perfect appropriate for this occasion. Come to think of it, it's perfect for any occasion when fresh berries are available. The cake is a simple vanilla butter cake, topped with a "frosting" made of ricotta cheese, fromage blanc/yogurt, sugar and more vanilla, which is then studded with perfectly ripe berries. It looks too beautiful to eat, and yet I can't help but crave a slice from looking at this picture and the others that accompany the recipe.