Dressed to thrill: Summer fruit recipes

Pavlova with roasted apricots, vanilla, blackberries and lemon curd

There are so many ways to dress a pavlova, and though fresh fruit might be most common, these roasted, vanilla-scented apricots are delicious with the crunchy and marshmallowy meringue and tangy lemon curd.

12 apricots, split in half and pitted

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 vanilla pod, splintered

good splash verjuice

150g lemon curd

250g mascarpone

1 punnet blackberries

Meringue

150ml egg whites (4-6 whites), make sure there are no traces of yolk

260g icing sugar, sifted

2 1/2 tbsp cornflour

1 tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp white vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 130C conventional (don't use fan). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. For the meringue, beat the egg whites in a stand mixer (make sure the bowl is clean and dry) until they start to form soft peaks. Incorporate the icing sugar in three batches while still beating. Beat until the mix is glossy and stiff enough to hold its shape - you can test this by spooning some meringue back onto the mass, and if it keeps its form, it's ready. Off the mixer, gently fold in the cornflour, cream of tartar and vinegar until incorporated.

3. Immediately tip the mix on to the lined tray in a round. Lightly smooth it into a dome, but don't flatten the top. Bake for 90 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave to cool completely in the oven. Remove.

4. Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced or 200C conventional.

5. In an ovenproof ceramic dish toss the apricots with the brown sugar and vanilla pod. Arrange the apricots cut side up and set aside for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the verjuice over them and roast for 25 minutes, with the grill on for the last five to scorch some edges. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the juices.

6. To serve, mix the mascarpone and lemon curd very gently (it can curdle if you're too vigorous). Gently crack the top of the meringue to make a crater and spoon the curd mix in. Top with the apricots, their juices and the blackberries.

Serves 6

Drink: Moscato d'asti

Jamon with rockmelon, mint and sherry vinegar jelly

This is a bit of a twist on a classic combination, with the tangy sherry vinegar and verjuice jelly providing a counterpoint to the sweet melon and rich, salty jamon.

3 gold-strength gelatine sheets

100ml sherry vinegar

100ml verjuice

1 small rockmelon

12 slices jamon

salt flakes

freshly ground black pepper

1 handful mint leaves

extra-virgin olive oil

1. Add the gelatine to a bowl of cold water to bloom, about five minutes.

2. Put the vinegar and verjuice in a pot, bring to a simmer and take off the heat. Squeeze excess moisture out of the gelatine and add the gelatine to the pot. Stir to dissolve and pour into a container to set - this will take a couple of hours.

3. Cut the ends off the melon and peel it. Scoop out the seeds from one end and cut into 3mm-thick discs. Twist the discs and arrange on a serving plate, interspersed with the jamon. With a spoon, scrape off rough strips of the jelly and dot over the plate. Season with salt and pepper, scatter over the mint and drizzle with a little oil.

Serves 4

Drink: Pinot grigio

Bresaola with walnut paste, nectarine, radish cress and roquefort

This dish could just as easily be plated individually as a composed salad, with the cheese broken into chunks, and served as an entree or appetiser.

extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, skin on

50g white bread, crusts removed

about 200ml milk

1 purple (Asian) eschalot, cut in 3mm slices

salt flakes

freshly ground black pepper

pinch of sugar

120g walnuts, toasted (at 170C for about 10 minutes or until golden and fragrant)

1/4 lemon

2 nectarines, cut into sixths

20 slices bresaola

100g roquefort cheese

2 handfuls radish cress or mustard cress

about 50ml saba (cooked reduced grape must, also called mosto cotto, from specialist food stores) or substitute vincotto

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced or 200C conventional.

2. Place the garlic cloves on a piece of foil, drizzle with a little oil, wrap up and roast until soft - about 20 minutes.

3. Place the bread in a small bowl with enough milk to cover. Set aside for five minutes.

4. Add the eschalot slices to a small bowl with a pinch of salt and sugar. Rub the salt and sugar into the eschalot and set aside - this will soften both the texture and flavour.

5. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and add the bread to a food processor with 50 millilitres of the milk, 100 grams of walnuts (reserve 20 grams to garnish) and the peeled roasted garlic, and blitz to a paste. Season, add a small squeeze of lemon juice and blitz again.

6. Season the nectarines with salt and pepper and toss gently in a little oil.

7. Arrange the bresaola on a serving plate, add the piece of roquefort, dollop on the walnut paste, pile on the nectarines, scatter over the eschalot, whole walnuts and radish cress and drizzle with saba.

Serves 4

Drink: An off-dry German or Australian riesling or a rich pinot gris; dry wines are easily overpowered by blue cheese.