Nectarine

A finale that is great on its own or served with some whipped cream that has been accented with brown sugar.

Using purchased puff pastry as a crust gets these simple and sensational tarts ready in no time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

This summer pudding yields 6 servings, allowing second helpings for a party of 4 or a breakfast treat for the next morning. In addition to an 8-inch square glass baking dish, you will also need another one, glass or metal, of the same size.

Since just about any combination of fruits will work for the topping, this recipe can be used all year long.

You can make the syrup a day ahead; however, add the fruit no more than eight hours in advance, to prevent it from getting soggy.

This pie rivals peach pie for flavor and texture. The double-crust pie is piled high with lush tart nectarines interspersed with raspberries. The flesh of a nectarine is slightly firmer than that of a peach, producing a pie with an excellent texture.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

I was first tempted to serve these with a dollop of crème fraîche, or vanilla ice cream, but I resisted because I didn't want to dilute their flavor, and I was right to do so, for the balance of flavors is perfect. Muscovado sugar is a very dark, usually organic, unrefined sugar from Madagascar. If you can't find it, simply use dark brown sugar.

The flavors of this salad go well with honey-glazed grilled chicken or pork chops.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 3 hr (plus 1 day for flavors to develop)

These pretty tartlets can be made one day ahead. Arrange them in a single layer in a shallow plastic container for transporting.

This fruit ice is flavored with cinnamon and allspice. It is garnished with slices of peach, nectarine and plum; other seasonal fruit would work, too. Follow with iced espresso.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's a terrific twist on the classic fruit-and-shortcake theme.

Instead of using a pastry bag to pipe the meringue for the baskets, just snip a corner off a resealable plastic bag. Begin preparing this one day ahead.

This is best eaten the day it's made — left to sit longer, the cake can get a bit soggy from the fruit.

It's important to use large lettuce leaves (about 6 inches) for this salad, so you may need to buy 2 heads of lettuce in order to get 6 good leaves. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min