Very little parallels the joy of hand-picking a sun-ripened fruit off a peach tree at the height of summer. Holding the warm, soft and fuzzy peach and biting into the fleshy skin, juices running down one’s hand, is such a great moment of simple bliss, evoking sweet memories of summers past.

The stands at the farmers’ markets are stacked high with nectarines, peaches, apricots, pluots, clear buckets of cherries and beyond, representing the bounty of the sun, soil and water, veritable gifts of nature. In the kitchen, I find stone fruit to be so versatile. For example, a peach is divine baked up in a crisp, crumble or cobbler and served warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Or served savory and chilled, wrapped in sliced prosciutto and a mound of burrata cheese, drizzled with olive oil. Dice some Bing cherries into a chopped quinoa salad. Or macerate them for a refreshing sweet and crisp beverage.

Here I offer up some of my favorite stone fruit recipes. They are simple to make, healthy, free of refined sugar and gluten, and flavorful, highlighting the gifts and glory of the season. Create a whole stone fruit buffet or simply sprinkle the dishes into your favorite summer meal. Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy the colorful bounty of summertime.

Cherry Lavender Lime Spritzer

This delightful mocktail features my favorite flavors of the summer: the sweetness from cherries (I like to use Bing cherries), the aromatic floral taste of lavender and the tang of lime juice. Add sparkling water over ice and you have yourself a refreshing drink. Feel free to add a little mezcal if you want to make it into a cocktail.

Check out this recipe

Grilled Nectarine and Arugula Salad

This salad epitomizes summer. It is a light, fresh and colorful side dish, perfect for the hot days of the season.

Check out this recipe

Pan-Fried Salmon with Peach Salsa

This is a fabulous brunch or midsummer entertaining main dish. The peach salsa is refreshing with the salmon and adds so much life and color to this easy dish. Double or triple the recipe for a larger crowd, although if you do, be sure to adjust your cooking time for the salmon.

Check out this recipe

Breakfast Millet with Roasted Star Anise Plum Compote

Even in the summertime, it is sometimes pleasant to enjoy a warm breakfast dish. The dark purple of the aromatic spiced plum compote adds so much life to this light millet cereal. Millet comes as a small round grain but I mill it into a semi-fi ne powder in a coff ee grinder to give it that smooth and creamy texture reminiscent of Cream of Wheat. I cook the millet with coconut milk to add extra creaminess. P.S. The compote will last up to a week in the fridge and tastes great with yogurt and granola.

Check out this recipe