Peach

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

It's hard to believe that this sweet, crunchy, and smoky salsa has only six calories per serving.

Apples are traditional, but peaches are divine.

Spectacular but easy, thanks to purchased ice cream and sorbet. The meringue is browned in the broiler, like a baked Alaska, just before serving.

This New York-style cheesecake — with a hidden layer of sweet peach compote — is an ideal do-ahead dessert. It also travels well: Just glaze the cake in its pan and chill. When ready to serve, release the sides, then top the cake with fresh peach slices. Begin preparing this at least one day in advance.

China is the original home of the peach (a favorite fruit of its emperors), and pine nuts are grown in China and are used to garnish sweet fruit soups. The ginger-spiced peach sauce for this dessert can be prepared one day before serving.

Here's a hot Indian meal interpreted as an exotic and refreshing meatless salad.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but may require additional sitting time.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

No custard stands in the way of the peach flavor in this simple-to-make ice cream, so only the sweetest fresh peaches will do.

This is a classic French preparation that is easy to prepare and quite light. Once you have mastered the base, you can add any fruit that you have on hand. It is a great brunch dish since it is not quite an entrée nor is it sweet enough to be a dessert. One omelette is just enough for two people, and since I think that it is almost impossible to make an attractive omelette large enough to feed six, it is best to make one recipe at a time when feeding more than two people. You can keep the finished omelettes warm in a preheated 300° oven while you make the necessary number.

Any colorful combination of seasonal fruit can be used to decorate this pretty dessert.

Use fresh peaches when available - six peaches should do it.