Fruit

Adding grated orange peel amps up the melon's flavor, and layering whipped cream with the icy granita makes for an intriguing contrast of both texture and temperature.

This rustic take on a peach crumble couldn't be easier: Halved peaches are topped with a quick mixture that includes amaretti, almonds, butter, flour, and sugar. The crunchy topping is a nice contrast to the warm, tender peaches.

These are equally delicious hot off the grill or cold the next day.

This is a breeze to make: The dough is cut into pretty shapes with a cookie cutter, then layered atop the filling.

This is ideal hot-weather fare. For thinly slicing both the melon and the celery, we like the 10.5-inch mandoline by Kyocera ($23; cooking.com).

Exotic ginger-poached peaches are served with light, delicate meringues and softly whipped cream in a dessert that's great for summer entertaining (the peaches and meringues can be made a day ahead). A serrated vegetable peeler makes quick work of peeling the peaches.

This salad is a wonderful mix of flavors and textures. Serve it with warm flatbread, such as naan. Make a simply beautiful dessert by tossing together chopped honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon.

Fresh, peppery greens add important vitamins and phytochemicals to a crisp homemade pizza. Pizza dough can be found at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores (such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods markets) and Italian delis.

The salsa has a perfect sweet-spicy balance, and it's an easy way to turn simple grilled chicken breasts into a dish that's dinner-party special.

This exotic dish is cooked on the grill (in a disposable pan), so there's very little cleanup.

Here's a terrific new version of the classic melon-and prosciutto-pairing. For added color, use a mix of different melons.

Akashah's tasty citrus torte is both gluten-free and a source of healthy unsaturated fat.

Fiber-rich jicama is crunchy and refreshing; its texture is similar to an apple's. Sub chef Shaw's salad for classic Waldorf at your next picnic. No mayo means less fat, while chile powder and cheese add major flavor.

Apricots and almonds have an affinity for each other, as you'll discover in this marriage of the stone fruit and a cool semifreddo dotted with crushed almond praline.

A simple, delicious summer dessert with nectarines.

Inspired by Brazil's national drink, these boozy popsicles are made with cachaça, lime juice, and mint.

Fennel and raisins are a classic combination, and they come together here with rice to make a gratifying side dish. Dried fennel seeds help boost the fresh vegetable's delicate anise flavor, while plump golden raisins thread the rice with sweetness.

By its very nature, a Pavlova is a little wild—as proved by these three tiers of airy meringue, which crack and crumble to reveal marshmallowy interiors while the berries' juices puddle all over drifts of whipped cream. And that playful mix of textures and flavors sure tastes delicious. Meringues aren't usually made with moist brown sugar, but here it adds a deeper kind of sweetness. Baking them in cake pans, another unusual technique, helps these meringues crisp up.