Stone Fruit

Good ginger beers are made with actual ginger and deliver a nose-tingling hit of spice along with bubbles. Look for Fever-Tree, Reed's, or Fentimans brands.

Feel free to use cooked bulgur, barley, or couscous instead of quinoa

Part of what gives this cake its light texture is beating the butter and sugar well, so don't rush this step.

Ripe peaches can be used in place of the nectarines; choose whatever looks (and smells) best.

Scoring the plums helps the poaching liquid infuse the fruit all the way to the pit.

This riff on gazpacho gets unexpected sweetness—and great color— from the addition of cherries and a peach.

Beer in dessert? When it's a naturally sweet brew, we say pour away.

Fold cardamom-scented plum compote through a mixture of whipped cream and meringue; then freeze for an airy, creamy, sliceable summer dessert.

Lillet, a fruity, easy-drinking fortified wine, is a staple in Chef Ripert's summer pantry.

The secret to homemade brittle? Work fast—it hardens quickly.

Some leaves deserve to infiltrate the dessert menu, like lemon verbena, infused here in a whipped cream that can be spooned over just about anything.

Serve unsweetened tea with this syrup on the side.

We call this a Persian Kir Royale—and can think of no better way to start a meal. This recipe yields more syrup than you'll need; use the surplus for fruity nonalcoholic spritzers or drizzle it over ice cream.

The combination of creamy ricotta, sweet fruit, rich olive oil, and a little salt is addictive. We'll be serving this for breakfast, brunch, and dessert all summer.

As summer progresses and apricots go out of season, try these desserts with ripe plums instead.

"Paris chef Alain Passard, who is famous for unusual pairings, inspired this dish." —Chris Morocco, associate food editor

A blend of rums, exotic juices, liqueurs, aromatic spices, absinthe, and trepidation. One from the Soulshakers' greatest hits collection, this drink has been honed to a lethal edge over the past eight years at Gaz's Rocking Blues at London's Notting Hill Carnival and the Glastonbury Festival in southwest England.

Since the fruit is tart and acidic, the taste for sour cherries right off the tree is an acquired one. When tamed with sweeteners, like sugar or honey, this fruit becomes a natural for liqueurs, preserves, and syrups.

Wiśniówka "Life is dandy, cherry brandy!" So goes a line from a poem by Russian writer Osip Mandelstam—meant to be ironic, of course, as he lived in the darkest days of Stalinism and died in the Gulag. Cherry brandy, cherry vodka, cherry liqueurs: These are the obvious consequence of Eastern Europe's famous and abundant cherry orchards, of which there are just as many in Poland as there are in provincial Russia. Do note that this recipe works for any kind of fruit that is not too sweet. In particular it is worth trying with black currants or Polish jagody—wild blueberries—if you can find them. The quantities given here are for a 34-oz/1-L jar, but do reduce them (or increase them!) in proportion to the bottle you are using.