I have just finished about my 100th delicious ‘flat’ peach, a slight exaggeration of course, but I must admit that we have been rather stuffing ourselves with them over the last couple of weeks. Now they have to compete for our favours with the usual peaches, as well as nectarines, melons and figs.

A few years ago I was given a lovely basket of figs and was told they were St John’s figs because they appeared about the time of the feast of St John towards the end of June.

Fresh figs can be a bit elusive when I need them, so, in their absence, I did a nice chicken recipe using some ready-to-eat figs that had been imported from Tesco in the UK. The Whitworths brand of baking ingredients, widely available here, also has them.

Softer than the usual dried figs and described as ‘partially rehydrated’, they are so moreish, I’d eaten half of them before they got anywhere near the chicken!

Then, having eventually found some nice fresh ones, I made a tart with a filling of crushed amaretti, ground almonds, the remainder of the dried figs and a couple of eggs, and topped it with sliced fresh ones.

Fortunately, peaches are not a problem here as we’re inundated with them, so when we’ve had our fill of eating them on their own, I usually start doing other things with them.

One of our favourites is a peach mousse. It’s cool, fruity and creamy and keeps well in the fridge for a day or two. I did give this recipe some years ago, but I think it’s well worth repeating.

Judging by the number of trucks piled high with crates of watermelons leaving the farm next door to us lately, we must be in for a bumper crop this year. Along with cantaloupes, we’ll certainly be eating our fair share of them, either on their own or with Parma ham, in fruit salads or mixed with other ingredients.

A salad of melon, cucumber and tomatoes with some salty blue cheese crumbled on top and a sweet but sharp vinaigrette dressing, makes a perfect starter or lunch on a warm day.

I’ve just realised that the melon salad with the chicken and figs to follow and peach mousse for dessert would make a very nice menu for a summer dinner party.

I’ll have to bear that in mind.

Spiced chicken with figs

(Serves 4)

12 dried or ready-to-eat figs
4 chicken legs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsps honey
300ml chicken stock
Salt and ground black pepper
½ tbsp butter mixed with ½ tbsp flour
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Put the figs into a bowl, cover with boiling water and let them soak until they are softened.

If you are using ready-to-eat figs, there’s no need to soak them.

Preheat the oven to 190˚C. Remove the piece of back bone from the chicken legs or ask your butcher to do it for you.

Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole and fry the legs until well browned, then transfer to a plate. Add the onion to the pan and fry until starting to soften, then add the garlic and spices and fry for a minute more.

Stir in the honey, return the chicken to the casserole and pour on the chicken stock.

Drain the soaked figs and add them to the casserole.

Season well with salt and pepper and bring to the boil, then cover with foil and a lid and cook in the oven for 35 minutes or until the chicken is very tender.

Remove the chicken and figs to a serving dish, cover and keep warm.

Stir enough of the butter mixture into the juices to thicken them and simmer for a minute or two on top of the stove.

Taste and season as necessary, stir in the parsley, then pour the sauce over the chicken.

Serve with rice, small pasta shapes or mash.

Melon and blue cheese salad

(Serves 6)

4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
1 small cantaloupe melon
Half a hothouse cucumber
2 large handfuls rocket or fancy lettuce leaves
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
100g Roquefort or Danish blue cheese
A few torn basil leaves

Put the oil, sugar, vinegar and mustard into a screw-topped jar, season with salt and ground black pepper, put the lid on and give it a good shake.

Quarter the melon lengthways and remove the seeds, then peel the quarters and cut them crossways into slices. Peel the cucumber and slice it on the diagonal.

Put some salad leaves on each of four plates, then scatter over the melon and cucumber slices and the cherry tomatoes.

Crumble the cheese and divide it between the plates. Drizzle over the dressing and sprinkle with the torn basil leaves.

Peach mousse

(Serves 4)

100g sugar
6 large peaches
2 tbsps lemon juice
1 tbsp gelatin
200ml cup cream
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg white

Put the sugar into a pan, add four tablespoons of water and heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil and boil for two minutes.

Halve, stone, peel and slice five of the peaches and add them to the syrup, together with the lemon juice. Simmer gently until the peaches are tender, then whiz it all (including the syrup) in a processor or blender, or push it through a sieve.

Put two tablespoons of water into a cup and sprinkle on the gelatin.

Leave for a few minutes to soften, then stand the cup in a pan of simmering water and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Add it to the peach purée, mix well, then let it cool. Whip the cream with the vanilla seeds or extract and fold it into the fruit then, using clean beaters, whip the egg white until it stands in soft peaks and fold it in to the mixture, too.

Divide between six glasses and chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Just before serving, halve, stone and slice the extra peach and top each glass with two or three slices.

Fig, amaretti and almond tart

180g plain flour, plus 1 tbsp extra
90g butter
1 egg yolk
60g small amaretti biscuits
60g ground almonds
2 eggs
1 tbsp honey
100g dried figs
4 or 5 fresh figs
Icing sugar for dusting

Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter. Add the egg yolk and enough cold water to make a fairly soft dough. Roll out on a floured surface and line a 20cm loose-based tart tin.

Chill the pastry for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C and put a baking sheet in to heat.

Finely crush the amaretti and put them into a bowl, together with the ground almonds and extra tablespoon of flour.

Add the eggs and honey and mix well.

Trim any stalky bits from the dried figs, finely chop them and stir them into the amaretti mixture, then spread it evenly into the pastry case.

Slice the fresh figs and arrange them on the tart, then dust them with icing sugar. Stand the tart on the hot baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes until the pastry and figs are golden.

Cool in the tin, then dust the top with icing sugar, transfer to a serving plate and serve with whipped cream.