Katrina says: “Welcome to the world’s quickest salad. When stone fruits are in their peak, this is an Italian summer holiday on a plate. If you have a super-sweet leaning, substitute the slightly tart yellow nectarines with white ones, as they tend to be more saccharine.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1–2 burrata balls (approx. 200g/ 7oz each) or buffalo mozzarella if unavailable
• 6 yellow nectarines, stones removed, cut into wedges
• 110g (4oz/½ cup) Olive tapenade (page 89)
• baby basil leaves, to scatter
• 2–3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Tear the burrata into large pieces, place in serving bowls and scatter the nectarine wedges over the top. Add 1 tablespoon of tapenade to each plate, dolloping wherever you like. Scatter the basil leaves over and add a generous glug of olive oil. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.     

From From Salt to Jam by Katrina Meynink (£22, Hardie Grant), out now

Jack says: “My mother’s fruit crumble may be the most mindful recipe in this book. But wait, how is a fruit crumble mindful, you ask? The vibrant colors, the feeling of mixing the crumb with your hands, the taste of sweetness, even the aroma of these beautiful fruits melding together … the entire dessert invigorates all of your senses. Serve this bright dish with some fresh vanilla ice cream and sink into bliss.”

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 140g all-purpose flour
• 100g packed dark brown sugar
• 50g rolled oats
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 113g plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 nectarines, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 280g blueberries
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 100g granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Method

Preheat the oven to 375°F [190°C].

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the butter into small chunks. Using a pastry cutter or by hand, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until clumps begin to form. Transfer the crumb mixture to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Add the nectarines, mangoes, and blueberries to a 9 by 13 in [23 by 33 cm] baking dish. Sprinkle the fruit with the cornstarch and then add the granulated sugar and lime juice. Mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. This will create a slurry that will thicken the fruit mixture as it bakes.

Remove the crumb mixture from the fridge and sprinkle it evenly over the fruit mixture.

Bake the crumble for about 40 minutes loosely covered with aluminum foil, and then uncovered for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the fruit has softened. Serve warm. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

From Mind Over Batter: 75 Recipes For Baking As Therapy by Jack Hazan (£26, Chronicle Books), out now

Benjamina says: “The liquid in a can of chickpeas, properly known as aquafaba, is a bit of a magical ingredient. Particularly in vegan baking. For a while, I was quite hesitant to use it, fearing everything I made would taste like chickpeas. Spoiler – it doesn’t! The aquafaba whips up beautifully to create an egg-free meringue that once you’re comfortable with, you can fill with pretty much anything you fancy. Make them bigger or smaller, pile them up on a platter for something dramatic or crush them into an Eton mess. I’ve gone for a ginger, nectarine and almond pavlova that is simply beautiful for a cosy summer evening dessert.”

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the meringue:

• liquid (aquafaba) from 1 x 400g (14oz) can of chickpeas
• 1 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
• 240g (8½oz/1¼ cups) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

To fill:

• 3 ripe nectarines, pitted and quartered
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp Amaretto (optional)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped stem ginger
• 350ml (12fl oz/1½ cups) plant-based double (heavy) cream
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

For the almonds

• 40g (1½oz/½ cup) flaked (slivered) almonds
• ½ tbsp maple syrup
• ½ tbsp icing sugar
• pinch of flaky sea salt

Make ahead

Make the meringue shells 1 day in advance and store in an airtight container.

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan/ 325°F/gas mark 3). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Add the aquafaba to the bowl of a stand mixer with the lemon juice or vinegar and mix on low speed for about a minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue whisking until the mixture looks white and frothy with very soft peaks.

With the mixer still running, start adding in the sugar about a tablespoon at a time, waiting 20 seconds before adding in the next batch. Once all the sugar has been added, keep mixing for another minute and you should have a thick, glossy mixture. Add in the cornflour and mix briefly to combine.

Spoon 6 dollops onto the baking tray and use a palette knife or the back of a spoon to smooth the edges and shape them into mounds. Use a hot spoon to make an indent in the middle. This will be where our filling will sit later.

Bake the pavlovas for 45–55 minutesor until they are dry to the touch and peel away from the paper easily. Turn the oven off and leave them to cool and dry out inside the oven for 3 hours before storing them in an airtight container until needed.     

For the nectarines, preheat the oven to 210°C (190°C fan/410°F/gas mark 7).

Add the nectarines to a small dish with the maple syrup, lemon juice and Amaretto, if using. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the fruit is softened and syrupy. Remove from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. Stir in the chopped stem ginger and leave to cool completely.

To make the almonds, add them to a lined baking tray, pour over the maple syrup and dust with the icing sugar. Mix to coat and then bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes until toasty and well browned. Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt and let them cool completely before breaking into smaller pieces.

Lightly whip the cream and vanilla until thickened, then, when you’re ready to serve, fill each meringue shell with the cream. Top with some nectarines, a little of the syrup and a sprinkling of the toasted flaked almonds.

From I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi (£24, Quadrille), out now

Rick says: “Salty cheese, fruit and mint with a bit of honey in there too is the sort of salad that makes me long to be back in Sydney. I remember a lunch at the house of a famous, now sadly departed, art dealer named Ray Hughes, and a long table surrounded by great works of art including a couple by one of the guests, Tim Storrier. The table was literally one long line of large platters of salads like this one, with acres of prosciutto, melon, basil everywhere, halloumi, pomegranates, prawns and oysters, all partnered with sensational chardonnays. It was one of those lunches you never want to end.”

Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a light supper

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 6 nectarines, stoned and halved
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 80g pea shoots or lamb’s lettuce
• 150g feta, cubed or crumbled
• A few mint sprigs, leaves only, roughly torn
• 30g almonds, roughly chopped

Vinaigrette:

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp runny honey
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C. Mix the olive oil and honey in a roasting tin, add the nectarines and red onions, then toss to coat. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until tender, then leave to cool to room temperature.

Mix the vinaigrette ingredients in a jug and season with salt and pepper.

Scatter the pea shoots or lamb’s lettuce over a serving dish and arrange the red onions and nectarines on top. Pour over any roasting juices. Add the feta, scatter over the mint and almonds, then dress with the vinaigrette at the table.

From Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers, (£X, BBC Books), out now