Oh, the two recipes I’d promised to give you today is just one instead. My friend, Jennifer, will be leaving today for London for a few weeks so her recipe will have to wait until later in the summer. When she gets home, fruits will be even riper and she will show me how to make them.

I will, however, give you two other fruity recipes. The first is easy and it comes from Karen Valente. Cut watermelon from its rind (get rid of all the green and yellow); Cut the watermelon into approximately 1-inch chunks. Place the melon chunks into a fresh gallon-sized plastic bag, carefully push the bag somewhat flat and seal it well. Freeze the melon overnight or even a few days later. Open the bag of melon and pour into a Cuisinart bowl. As you puree the fruit, add sweetened condensed milk into the melon. Stop the food processor and taste the melon. When it is sweet enough for you, add a whisk of salt and puree another second or two. Spoon the mixture into a plastic container, seal it and freeze, What you have here is not a sorbet, actually; sorbet is usually dairy-free. But there is so little dairy in the dessert, yet it has the mouth-feel and texture that is heavenly.

For my second dessert, I was going to give you a Bon Appetit recipe for a strawberry hand pie, but it requires making a pie dough, making a strawberry filling, then creating frosting and assembling the dessert. And, with that, the hand pie might gush out on your white pants or sneakers. Instead, why not make enough crisp recipes for the whole summer, freezing it (right out of the freezer you can crumble it over the fruit and serve it after dinner). This is a dish you can serve in no time. So here is the recipe for crisp that tops almost any dessert all summer long.

Strawberry Filling

From Bon Appetit, Summer 2022

12 ounces strawberries, hulled, finely chopped

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Toss all ingredients in a medium bowl to combine. Let sit for 30 minutes. Place the strawberries in a gratin or Pyrex pan. Top with one package of crisp over the fruit and place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the filling bubbles.

Crisp Topping

Created by Deb Jensen, a dear friend who died just a few years ago

I quadruple this recipe and freeze it in little plastic bags.

Yield: makes around 5 cups

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup oatmeal (rolled oats)

1 cup walnuts or pecans

1 cup almonds or pine nuts

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted

Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix together with nice, clean hands

Lee White lives in Groton. She can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.

ON THE SIDE

As the summer begins, and even as it wanes into autumn, don’t turn off the grill after dinner.

Any stone fruit, minus the stone itself, makes for a delicious dessert. Cut the fruit in half, remove the pit, and grill the fruit side down for a few minutes. If you want it even sweeter, turn the fruit skin down and add a teaspoon of butter and maybe another teaspoon of brown sugar. Serve it grilled side up, warm. Does it need a tiny scoop of ice cream? Can ice cream ever hurt?

No peaches, plums, apricots? How about a slice of fresh pineapple? And if the grill is still open, remember graham cracker, topped with a marshmallow, a piece of Hershey Bar and topped by another graham cracker.