Guilt-free, healthy desserts: can sweets that look and taste this delectably rich actually be good for you? These luscious concoctions are more than the sum of their beneficial parts

Travel outside the United States, and you're likely to be served fresh fruit for dessert instead of cakes, tarts, pastries or ice cream. In many parts of Europe, richer sweets are reserved for holidays or special occasions only. Perennially overweight America could learn a lesson from this; after all, what could be a sweeter (and healthier) end to a meal than a bowl of perfect figs, crisp-skinned apples, piquant berries, voluptuous cherries or juicy peaches? All of these terrific treats, which are easy on the arteries as well as the waistline, taste even more decadent with a drizzle of honey or sugar, a sprinkle of nuts or a splash of sweet wine.

But let's be honest. As delicious as fruit is, we like dessert to be sinfully rich and decadent: praline cheesecake, chocolate mousse pie, creme brulee, tarte tatin. Even these are OK in small, infrequent servings, but there's just one problem: That's not how we're eating them.

We will always lust after the creamy, crumbly and chocolatey. And self-deprivation only leads to a vicious cycle of overindulgence, mood swings and weight gain. So how can we leave the fat, cholesterol and empty calories behind and still satisfy both mind and taste buds? Read on, and be prepared to get healthy and get happy.

The answer is compromise: You can create desserts that taste wonderfully wicked but are actually light and healthy. Picture a silky-smooth panna cotta redolent with honey and vanilla, or a full-flavored fruit-and-nut crisp fresh from the oven. Perhaps a sky-high piece of exquisitely scented angel food cake with a vibrant berry compote will tempt your sweet tooth. If not, you're likely to find solace in an amazing, tangy-sweet semifreddo adorned with tropical sauce or an elegantly grown-up rendition of a chocolate banana split.

When you sink your teeth into any or all of these easy-to-make desserts, you won't be sacrificing taste and enjoyment. Instead, you'll feel you're indulging in something totally original--and, even better, something that can actually play a legitimate part in a balanced diet.

If these recipes tempt you to get into the kitchen, then begin your adventure at a natural foods store or a supermarket with top-notch organic and health-food sections. If you can, choose organic fruits, sugars and flours. Once you have these items in your pantry, no doubt you will want to experiment with them again and again--and perhaps invent some guilt-free, healthy desserts of your own.

key lime semifreddo with mango sauce

SERVES 10

  3 tablespoons powdered egg whites
    (try Just Whites)
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup fresh key lime juice
    teaspoon cream of tartar
  1 cup sifted powdered sugar,
    preferably organic
 14 ounces drained soft (silken) tofu 1 tablespoon grated key lime peel
  2 large ripe mangoes, preferably organic,
    peeled and sliced
1/4 cup fresh orange juice

(1) Lightly oil 8 1/2- by 4 1/2- by 2 3/4-inch loaf
pan and line with plastic wrap.

(2) Combine egg whites, warm water and key
lime juice in large metal bowl. Stir with fork
and let stand 5 minutes. Using electric mixer
set at medium-low speed, beat mixture until
whites dissolve, about 4 minutes. Add cream
of tartar and beat on medium speed until soft
peaks form. Beat in powdered sugar 1 tablespoon
at a time. Continue beating until stiff
peaks form.

(3) Place tofu and key lime peel in food processor.
Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping
down sides. Transfer mixture to large bowl.
Fold egg-white mixture into tofu mixture.
Spoon into prepared pan. Cover with plastic
wrap and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or
overnight.

(4) Place mangoes and orange juice in processor;
puree until smooth. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons
mango sauce onto center of each of
10 plates. Using plastic wrap as aid, unmold
semifreddo onto platter. With a sharp knife,
cut semifreddo into slices. Set each slice atop
mango sauce. Let stand 10 minutes, then serve.

PER SERVING: 99 calories; 11% fat (1 g;
0 g saturated); 74% carbs (18 g); 15% protein
(4 g); 1 g fiber; 18 mg calcium; <1 mg iron,
27 mg sodium.

healthy ingredient:

soy

Soy beans are very high in protein, rich in nutrients and an excellent source of phytochemicals, which are compounds that help the body defend itself against illness. Ubiquitous in Asia, the little green beans have been a negligible part of the American diet until recently, when word spread that they may help lower cholesterol; ward off cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis; and relieve menopausal symptoms. Soy beans taste great, too, on their own or transformed into miso, tofu, tempeh or soy milk. The milk and silken soft tofu are especially well-suited to baking and dessert-making.

mexican-chocolate sorbet with rum bananas

SERVES 8

SORBET

  2 cups water
  1 cinnamon stick
  5 whole doves
  1 cup Sucanat
  1 rounded teaspoon instant coffee
    granules
    cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

    BANANAS

    Nonstick spray

  4 firm-but-ripe bananas, preferably organic,
    peeled, halved crosswise then lengthwise
  3 tablespoons Sucanat
  3 tablespoons dark rum

for sorbet:

(1) Combine water, cinnamon stick and cloves in
heavy medium saucepan over medium heat; bring
to simmer. Add Sucanat and return to simmer.
Remove from heat. Whisk in coffee granules, then
cocoa powder and salt. Cool mixture completely.

(2) Strain mixture; discard spices. Transfer mixture to
ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's
instructions. To make sorbet without an ice
cream maker, transfer mixture to 9- by 13-inch glass
baking dish. Freeze mixture until firm, stirring occasionally,
about 5 hours. Break sorbet into large
pieces; transfer pieces to food processor. Puree
sorbet until smooth and creamy. Spoon sorbet into
plastic container. Cover and freeze until firm. (Sorbet
can be prepared and frozen 1 week ahead. Let stand
at room temperature 5 minutes before serving.)

for bananas:

(1) Spray a large, heavy skillet with nonstick spray.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add bananas
and cook until browned on one side, about 1 minute.
Carefully turn bananas and cook until browned on
second side, about 1 minute. Transfer two banana
pieces to each of eight plates or bowls. Add Sucanat
to same skillet. Add rum and simmer over low heat
until mixture is syrupy, about 1 minute. Drizzle syrup
over bananas, dividing evenly. Top bananas with
scoop of sorbet and serve immediately.

PER SERVING: 106 calories; 7% fat (<1 g; 0 g
saturated); 88% carbs (23 g); 5% protein (1 g); 2 g
fiber; 74 mg calcium; 14 mg iron; 85 mg sodium.