You'll need a 9-inch oven-proof short-sided baking dish.

Praline Topping:

1/2 cup sugar
3 T water
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup all purpose flour
5 T unsalted butter

Peaches:

1/2 cup sugar
3 T water
6 large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 8 wedges each
2 T cornstarch

Topping:

Butter small cookie sheet. Stir sugar and water in heavy saucepan over low heat until dissolved. Increase heat and boil without stirring until sugar turns a dark golden color. Mix in almonds. Immediately pour mixture onto greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely. Crack into pieces and grind fine in a food processor.

NOTE: You can prepare the praline ahead; store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to two weeks. This recipe makes more praline than required for one dish, so you can store it and make another crisp weeks later. Make a double recipe and keep enough praline on hand for spur of the moment baking!

Set the oven for 375°. Combine 1/2 cup praline and flour in food processor. Add cold butter and pulse on and off until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, stir sugar and water in heavy saucepan over low heat until dissolved. Increase heat and boil without stirring until sugar turns a dark golden color. BE CAREFUL: IT'S HOT! Pour caramel into the baking dish, turning dish to coat bottom and sides with caramel. Allow to harden.

Sprinkle cornstarch over peaches, tossing gently to coat. Arrange peaches over hardened caramel; distribute topping evenly over peaches. Bake about 40 minutes, until caramel bubbles and topping browns. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Serves six.

Preheat oven to 375.

Blend together:

1 cup almond paste
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sugar, to taste (a couple tablespoons)
Almond extract, to taste (a splash)

Into a pie plate, fit a pastry for a single-crust pie (either frozen or your own). Spread the almond filling into the bottom.

Add:

4 ripe peach halves
1 cup dark red cherries, stemmed and pitted

Brush with 2 T melted butter. Sprinkle with a little almond extract and about 2 T sugar. Bake about 1 hour until golden and tender.

NOTE: Try other fruit combinations! Apricots and blackberries, or nectarines and blueberries, or...

Preheat oven to 350°

Prepare 10 5-oz. chicken breasts: bone, skin, and cut them in half.

Combine in a pie tin:

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme

Coat the chicken with the flour mixture and bake for about ten minutes until almost done.

Combine in a large skillet:

1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups sliced peaches
2 T brown sugar
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp sweet basil
1 minced garlic clove

Bring ingredients almost to a boil. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until chicken is done, about 10 minutes. Serve over rice. Serves ten.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Butter a shallow ceramic baking dish, or a 9-inch tart pan.

Combine in a mixing bowl:

1 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 T vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup flour

Beat until foamy.

Pour 1/4 inch of batter into the buttered dish. Bake 2 minutes until just barely set.

Arrange:

10 medium peaches, skinned, pitted, halved, cut side down in the dish and pour the remaining batter over them.

Bake 30-35 minutes until custard is puffed and brown. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

450° to start

Have an 8"- or 9"-square pan ready, ungreased. Combine in a mixing bowl:

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cut in: 2 T shortening

Set aside. In a non-corrosive saucepan, combine:

2-3 cups sliced peaches
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

Bring to a boil. While the fruit heats up, stir into the dry ingredients:

1/2 cup milk

Pour the batter into the pan, and pour the boiling fruit over it. Bake ten minutes at 450°, then decrease heat to 350° and cook about another 15 minutes. Serve warm (or eat cold for breakfast).

Preheat oven to 425.

Butter a 9-inch pie plate with 2 T butter. Sprinkle with 2 T sugar.

Peel, pit, and halve 6-8 peaches and nectarines. Place fruit cut side down in the butter and sugar.

For the batter, mix together:

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt

Pour the batter over the fruit.

For the topping, mix together:
4 T sugar
4 T chopped almonds

Sprinkle the topping over the fruit and the batter, and then dot with 1 T butter.

Bake 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Hors d'oeuvres for 8

Soak 16-20 skewers in cold water 30 minutes before assembling (to prevent them from scorching).

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in 3/4" cubes
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges and then cut once across = 16 pieces
1 large yellow onion (about 1 lb), cut into 3/4" pieces
2 peaches, peeled and cubed into 3/4" chunks

Skewer in this order: chicken peach lime peach onion chicken. Smush all ingredients together at one end of the skewer and lay skewers in a shallow pan.

Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
6 T oil
4 T honey
1 tsp ground ginger

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl till thoroughly blended, then pour over skewers. Refrigerate four hours. Grill or broil 3-4 minutes each side, serve immediately.

Preheat oven to 375

For topping:

1 1/2 pounds firm just-ripe yellow peaches (about 3-4)
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar

For cake batter:

Stir together and set aside:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

Beat together:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (on a ginger grater)
Add one at a time:

2 large eggs

Stir in:

1/2 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)

Gradually add flour mixture until just combined.

Stir in:

1/2 a peach, peeled and chopped fine (try to include the juice)

To prepare the topping, peel and quarter the peaches. In an ovenproof 10" skillet, melt the butter over low heat and stir in the sugar till dissolved. Place the peach quarters on their tummies in the butter and sugar, and let the mixture cook over very low heat until the sugar darkens and the peaches are soft, about 30 minutes.

While the topping cooks, prepare the cake.

When the peaches are ready and the cake batter is mixed, take the skillet off the heat and spoon the batter over the peaches, leaving a half-inch border uncovered around the edges (the cake will expand to cover the whole top). Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Cool 10 minutes, run a knife around the rim to loosen, then carefully invert onto a plate. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Notes and Variations:

For a little extra kick, add chopped candied ginger to the cake batter.

Add coarsely chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds) to the topping as it cooks.

In other seasons, this cake is great with apples instead of peaches. Use grated apple in the batter, too. You can even make this cake with canned pineapple slices!

Try different flavorings in the cake, like orange rind instead of ginger, and/or flavored yogurt instead of sour cream.

When baking, this cake may overflow. You might want to put a pan or a piece of aluminum foil underneath to catch the drips.

2 ripe yellow peaches, Lady in Red, Begorra, or Faye Elberta for preference

1/4 cup ground mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T yellow mustard seed, ground coarse
1/2 tsp ground garlic (or 1 small fresh clove, crushed)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup apple juice
2 T honey

Peel and cut the peaches into large dice. If you need to grind the whole mustard seed, clean out your coffee grinder and pulse the seed two or three times until some is cracked and some is still whole.

In a stainless steel or non-stick-coated pan, stir together all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, being careful not to scorch the sugar. Stir it down and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, over low heat until the peaches are very soft, about 1 hour. If the mixture seems too runny, simmer without the cover for ten minutes or so to evaporate some of the liquid.

Pulse the mixture in a food processor until it is thick but not quite smooth. Let cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

Note: Don't store it in plastic -- use a glass jar or a ceramic bowl. The plastic will take on the scent of the mustard and become virtually unuseable for anything else.

Makes about 1 cup. Use as a base for a vinaigrette, as a sandwich spread, or as a marinade. Or just eat it out of a dish with a pretzel, or a spoon.

Note: You can follow standard canning practices to preseve this mustard and make it shelf-stable.

Credit due to ChronicleBooks for publishing the progenitor of this recipe.

NOTE: Make this the day before you want to serve it!

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Make the crust:

In a food processor, blend:

6 graham crackers (5x2 1/2 inch crackers)
1 1/4 cups crushed amaretti (Italian almond cookies)
3 T sugar
3 T melted unsalted butter

Press the crust into the bottom of the springform pan and about 3/4 of the way up the sides. Bake 10-15 minutes until crisp, and allow to cool completely.

Make the filling:

In an electric mixer, beat until smooth:

1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese, at room temp
1/2 cup sugar

Add, one at a time:

2 large eggs

Add:

1 T lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 T all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake 30-35 minutes until golden. Cool completely in pan, remove pan and chill tart overnight.

Right before serving:

Slice 2 pounds of nectarines into a bowl and toss with about 2 T sugar. Let stand a few minutes to let the sugar dissolve, then pile the nectarines on the tart and serve immediately.

Heat to boiling in a large saucepan:

2 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice

Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes.

Coarsely chop in a food processor and transfer to a large bowl:

1 pound nectarines, pitted

Repeat the process for each of the following separately and add to the same bowl:

2 lemons, quartered and seeded
2 medium onions
1/2 red bell pepper
1/4 cup crystallized ginger

Add to the bowl and toss to mix:

3/4 cup golden raisins

Add the nectarine mix to the syrup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes. Store in clean jars. Keeps in the refrigerator for months. Serve with roasted meats, like pork or lamb, or as an appetizer with cream cheese and smoked chicken.

For those of us without an ice cream freezer, this concoction comes close to providing that fresh ice cream taste.

1 pound ripe nectarines, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
1/3 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup heavy cream

Arrange the nectarine wedges on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, several hours or overnight.

Put the frozen nectarines in a food processor with the sugar and process until the mixture looks like snow.

With the machine running, add the vanilla and cream, stopping as needed to scrape down the sides of the container. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Process until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.

NOTE: For a different taste, try almond extract instead of vanilla. Or, add a little lemon zest.

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl:

4 nectarines, peeled and diced
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 T garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp jalapeno pepper, minced
2 T shallots, minced
3 T fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T orange juice
1 1/2 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Serve over grilled chicken breasts or as a dip for chips.

NOTE: Allow at least four hours for it to cool, or be prepared to serve it crumbly!

Combine in a bowl and set aside:

about three pounds sliced nectarines, yellow or white
about 1/2 cup sugar
6 T instant tapioca
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 cup muscat wine or orange liqueur (Triple Sec, G. Marnier, etc.)

In another bowl, combine:

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar

Cut in:

10 T unsalted butter, cut in pieces.

Thoroughly stir in:

1 large egg

Press dough evenly into a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Make sure to put some dough up the sides, too.Bake at 350° for about 1 1/2 hours; poke down the bubbly bits once or twice as it bakes.Allow to cool at least four hours; take off the springform rim; serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Preheat oven to 400, and place rack in lower third of oven.

Mix together in a saucepan:

1/2 cup sugar
1 T brown sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 cup water
6 cups assorted plums, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch slices

Cook over moderate heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add:

1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/8 tsp almond extract

Pour into an 8-inch square pan.

For topping:

Sift together in large bowl:

1 cup flour
3 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Stir in:

1/3 cups oats

Cut in:

5 T unsalted butter

Add:

1/2 cup milk

to make a soft dough. Spoon over the fruit. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over top. Bake 25 minutes till golden and bubbling. Serve warm.

Combine in a food processor or blender:

5 cups diced white nectarines (about 8-10 medium nectarines)
1 cup frozen fruit juice concentrate (experiment! try orange, or raspberry, or white grape)

Whirl until smooth. Add:

1/2 cup sugar

Whirl again.

Freeze in an ice cream freezer OR freeze in a shallow pan, stirring and scraping frequently as the liquid freezes.

Serve with cookies.

Toss together:

2 large skinned, sliced white peaches
1/2 pint raspberries
2 T sugar
1 T Grand Marnier

Set aside.

In a small bowl combine:

1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange zest

Pipe or spoon the creamy mixture into individual dessert cups, and divvy the fruit over each. Serve with biscotti. Serves four.

Easy to make and assemble, this dessert is also delicious.

Raspberry sauce:

Push through a fine sieve:

1 package (12-ounces) frozen raspberries, thawed

Set aside.

White chocolate sauce:

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine until melted:

1/3 cup heavy cream
5 ounces white chocolate, chopped

Remove from heat and stir in:

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk until smooth and set aside.

Peel and halve:

6 white peaches

To assemble:

Place a puddle of white chocolate sauce on a dessert plate. Place two peach halves cut side up in the sauce on the plate. Put a small scoop of vanilla ice cream in each peach cup. Drizzle the raspberry sauce over the ice cream. Garnish with mint.