It's late February and if your face isn't sticky with peach or plum juice, have you really had a summer?

Stone fruits like peaches, plums, mangoes, apricots, lychees, nectarines and cherries have been dribbling down faces around the world, since forever. They provide the sweetest relief from bleeding-hot days - perfect alone, though perhaps even better in a recipe.

Stone fruits are also known as drupes. The 'stone' in the centre is actually the protective case for the fruit seed, which is surrounded by a fleshy middle layer (the bit we like to find drizzling down our faces) and thin skin.

Eat well: Summer fruits are also good for the brain Summer fruits are back on Australian tables. We've long known cherries and other stone fruits provide a range of essential vitamins and minerals. But here’s another reason to make sure they’re on the shopping list: they’re good for the brain.

Fellow drupes are edibles we generally think of as 'nuts', like cashews, almonds, walnuts coconuts and pistachios. The word drupe comes from the Italian word drupa, or "overripe olive". And yes, olives and dates are both drupes and fruits too, which makes us happy because we get to add them to our list.

The main thing to know about stone fruits is that they are really only nice when they're perfectly ripe. The best way to tell if stone fruit is ripe is to gently press the flesh. It should 'give' a little bit - if you can push into the fruit slightly, it's ready to eat.

Let's take a world tour guided by the fragrance of ripe stone fruits, turned into prized recipes made across generations. 

This is a really summery dessert, made with the classic Melba flavours of poached peach and a punchy raspberry sauce. Source: Adam Liaw

Adam Liaw is a good place to kick off our adventure, given that he's a master at revving up a traditional recipe by taking it for a spin. In this case, Dame Nellie Melba's namesake dessert is given the maximum chill in granita form.

Raspberry and peach cordial This flavour combination, reminiscent of the classic Peach Melba, makes for a lovely syrup. Peach Giuliana This version of the classic dessert, Peach Melba, has a bit of an Italian flavour. It was inspired by Garrie and Giuliana Vincenti, a charming couple of peach farmers I met in my travels through Western Australia. Peach melba Stage 2: Monaco to Brignoles Today French chef, Gabriel Gaté, discusses the classic food of the Riviera and prepares a very fruity Peach Melba, a dish created for Dame Nellie Melba by Auguste Escoffier, who was a great French chef born not far from Monaco. Sommelier, Christian Maier introduces a great wine from Provence.

This flavour combination, reminiscent of the classic Peach Melba, makes for a lovely syrup.

This version of the classic dessert, Peach Melba, has a bit of an Italian flavour. It was inspired by Garrie and Giuliana Vincenti, a charming couple of peach farmers I met in my travels through Western Australia.

Stage 2: Monaco to Brignoles Today French chef, Gabriel Gaté, discusses the classic food of the Riviera and prepares a very fruity Peach Melba, a dish created for Dame Nellie Melba by Auguste Escoffier, who was a great French chef born not far from Monaco. Sommelier, Christian Maier introduces a great wine from Provence.

The chaja bird could only dream of getting its beak into this heavenly creation. Source: Alan Benson

This exquisite peach and meringue celebration cake takes its name from a native Uruguayan bird - el postre chaja. We're talking a real show-stopper here, with layers of sponge, peach and caramel topped off with meringue.

'Refreshing' is now pronounced 'lychee'. Source: The Sweet Life with Elise Strachan

This delicate Japanese dessert combines cool plum wine ice, jelly, lychee sauce and fresh apples to create layers of indulgence.

Coconut water and lychee jellies These little jellies use agar agar, and are thus vegan. The juicy lychees are encased in the set coconut water and are refreshing on a warm day. Palm heart, papaya and lychee salad This salad is about as tropical as it gets featuring fruits, mint, lime juice and banana blossom. It almost looks too good to toss. Lychee, cucumber and chilli salad This is a very refreshing salad, crunchy with texture, hot with chilli and laden with herbs. The lychee gives small hints of sweetness that seems to bring everything together. It is a perfect dish for lunch on a hot summer day.

These little jellies use agar agar, and are thus vegan. The juicy lychees are encased in the set coconut water and are refreshing on a warm day.

This salad is about as tropical as it gets featuring fruits, mint, lime juice and banana blossom. It almost looks too good to toss.

This is a very refreshing salad, crunchy with texture, hot with chilli and laden with herbs. The lychee gives small hints of sweetness that seems to bring everything together. It is a perfect dish for lunch on a hot summer day.

Inspired by the idea of Turkish delight, but with more subtle flavours, this is a simple and delicate dessert that highlights the floral flavour of the fruit. Source: Benito Martin

The light, fresh taste of lychees means they often turn up in some kind of jelly form. Here they're settled nicely with rose petals and pistachio to put plant them squarely, though somewhat wobbly, in the Middle East. 

With the flavours of a Moroccan tagine, this quick and easy one-pot is perfect for a mid-week meal.

Apricots and Middle Eastern food have such an affinity that you can hardly have one without the other. This Moroccan chicken and apricot pilaf showcase how easy it is to impart big flavour with a few carefully chosen ingredients. And also how versatile stone fruits are - it's not all about the juicy finish, dried is good too.

Saint Fanourios cake This cake is traditionally baked and taken to Greek Orthodox church each year in August, but its nutty, gently spiced flavour can be enjoyed on any occasion. Apricot and cherry flan (Flan aux abricots et aux cerises) This seasonal French family dessert is a popular treat and easy to prepare at home. Punschkrapfen (rum and apricot cakes) These sweet little morsels are traditional Viennese petits-fours. Their delicate sponge layers, punchy rum-spiked apricot filling and pretty pink exteriors make them rather addictive.

This cake is traditionally baked and taken to Greek Orthodox church each year in August, but its nutty, gently spiced flavour can be enjoyed on any occasion.

This seasonal French family dessert is a popular treat and easy to prepare at home.

These sweet little morsels are traditional Viennese petits-fours. Their delicate sponge layers, punchy rum-spiked apricot filling and pretty pink exteriors make them rather addictive.

This semi-sweet mango hot sauce is laced with plenty of habanero chillies. Source: Pati's Mexican Table

You'll soon be dolloping this mango hot sauce from Mexico onto everything. Mango makes everything taste better.

Crab and mango salad with nuoc cham Crab is my all-time favorite ingredient to come out of the ocean. This recipe was inspired by a trip to the Kimberley, where I met a couple of Aboriginal elders, Bryan and Bundy, who took me on a mud-crabbing adventure.  Fish tacos with mango salsa Warm corn tortillas filled with fresh snapper, a homemade coriander guacamole and a spicy-sweet mango salsa for a great balance of flavours. Mango and coconut kulfi This layered mango and coconut kulfi is part Indian dessert and part Weiss bar. What’s not to like?

Crab is my all-time favorite ingredient to come out of the ocean. This recipe was inspired by a trip to the Kimberley, where I met a couple of Aboriginal elders, Bryan and Bundy, who took me on a mud-crabbing adventure. 

Warm corn tortillas filled with fresh snapper, a homemade coriander guacamole and a spicy-sweet mango salsa for a great balance of flavours.

This layered mango and coconut kulfi is part Indian dessert and part Weiss bar. What’s not to like?

This salad is inspired by the flavours of Thailand and the balance of hot and sour with salty and sweet. Source: Sharyn Cairns

In Thailand, they prefer their mangoes green for acidity and not too much sweetness. The taste is fresher than a brighter summer morning.

This traditional dish is from Erzurum, in eastern Anatolia, where they stuff it with lonely walnuts. Pairing them with apricots makes a magical union.

When two drupes are joined in pastry matrimony, it's a guaranteed long and happy future.

White nectarines with jamon and roasted almonds is a simple dish that belies its complex flavours. Source: Benito Martin

The nectarine is so often relegated as the poor cousin of the peach, but that's just nonsense. It's a standalone gem of a stone fruit, which simple recipes like this one from Spain demonstrate so well. Nectarines are so sweet they embrace savoury finishes like they've been asked to dance the rumba.

Prosciutto, white nectarines, ricotta and almonds Make the most of nectarine season with a salad that makes them the star. The sweetness of nectarines, combined with nutty, creamy and salty elements, make for a dish that is the answer when you need a quick entree or light meal to impress. Pineapple and nectarine cashew nut cake This fruity cake is made with coconut and cashew flours for a beautifully moist and dense cake, topped with sticky pineapple and nectarine. Baked nectarines with blackberries This is one of our favourite summer desserts. It’s incredibly easy to make and can be served warm or cold. It also makes a lovely, fruity breakfast, served with yoghurt and a sprinkling of sugar-free granola.

Make the most of nectarine season with a salad that makes them the star. The sweetness of nectarines, combined with nutty, creamy and salty elements, make for a dish that is the answer when you need a quick entree or light meal to impress.

This fruity cake is made with coconut and cashew flours for a beautifully moist and dense cake, topped with sticky pineapple and nectarine.

This is one of our favourite summer desserts. It’s incredibly easy to make and can be served warm or cold. It also makes a lovely, fruity breakfast, served with yoghurt and a sprinkling of sugar-free granola.

Nectarines replace traditional peaches in this contemporary version of the Bellini. Source: Benito Martin

If you want to experience the difference between a peach and a nectarine, make a fino Bellini.

This recipe from Ascoli manages to stuff 14 separate ingredients inside each lucky olive. Source: china squirrel

Stuffed olives are an Italian delicacy and there is truly nothing like a fresh olive treated this way. The flavour reward needs to be high because let's face it, it's not easy to stuff an olive.

Easy spaghetti alla puttanesca Alla puttanesca is one of the best ways to enjoy an Italian fare - with capers, anchovies, olives and rich tomatoes, it's a Mediterranean delight. Chicken tagine This is a traditional Moroccan dish, designed to be prepared in a tagine, a special earthenware pot shaped with a wide but shallow base and a conical lid. If you don't have a tagine, an ordinary pot will do. In this recipe, we use classic Moroccan ingredients of olives and preserved lemon. Egyptian carrot salad with pita, almonds and olives A beautiful salad to share with friends.

Alla puttanesca is one of the best ways to enjoy an Italian fare - with capers, anchovies, olives and rich tomatoes, it's a Mediterranean delight.

This is a traditional Moroccan dish, designed to be prepared in a tagine, a special earthenware pot shaped with a wide but shallow base and a conical lid. If you don't have a tagine, an ordinary pot will do. In this recipe, we use classic Moroccan ingredients of olives and preserved lemon.

A beautiful salad to share with friends.

Load up on panko-crumbed feta and plenty of Kalamata olives. Source: Tammi Kwok

A Greek salad without olives is... just a salad with feta. Olives add the necessary salty, briny oomph that makes this salad so outta-this-world. Especially one that's 'loaded' like this version.

The clafoutis is a deceptively simple creation that is basically a posh version of fruit and custard. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Clafoutis and stone fruits are the best-ever buds. That's exactly how all the fine French cookbooks phrase it. The traditional cherry clafoutis cannot be beat, through this apricot version might have something to say about that.

Black forest cake (torta selva negra) Despite the heavy Italian influence seen in Argentine ‘panaderías’ (bakeries), you will also find a German touch, and the ‘torta selva negra’ is a truly decadent cake for a special afternoon tea. Cherry spelt cakes, mascarpone and licorice sugar Nordic countries have an affinity for licorice, both the common sweet type and the sweet and salty. Licorice powder, derived from licorice root, can be tricky to find but it’s an interesting product for adding that distinctive aniseed flavour to sweet or savoury dishes. Sour cherry strudels (weichselstrudel) These sweet German pies, known as weichselstrudel, have a sticky, jam-like filling of sour cherries. They’re sprinkled with sugar and flaked almonds, then baked until golden.

Despite the heavy Italian influence seen in Argentine ‘panaderías’ (bakeries), you will also find a German touch, and the ‘torta selva negra’ is a truly decadent cake for a special afternoon tea.

Nordic countries have an affinity for licorice, both the common sweet type and the sweet and salty. Licorice powder, derived from licorice root, can be tricky to find but it’s an interesting product for adding that distinctive aniseed flavour to sweet or savoury dishes.

These sweet German pies, known as weichselstrudel, have a sticky, jam-like filling of sour cherries. They’re sprinkled with sugar and flaked almonds, then baked until golden.

The Limburger cherry flan is also known as vlaai. Source: Alan Benson

Cherries grow with abundance in the Netherlands and a version of cherry flan is found in every province. This doughier type is from the Limburg area and almost resembles a cherry pizza.

Maamoul means 'stuffed' in Arabic and that's exactly what you'll be after polishing off five of these irresistible date cookies. Date cookies (Maamoul)

Maamoul means 'stuffed' in Arabic and that's exactly what you'll be after polishing off five of these irresistible date cookies.

The most delicious filling for pastries and biscuits comes courtesy of the date. It's a humble hard worker that adds texture and a sweet bite to everything it touches. Try these date cookies and you'll see exactly what we mean.

Chocolate date meringue cake If you’re looking to cater for a large crowd of chocolate lovers, look no further.  Saffron and cardamom milk pudding (shree khurma) This milk and rice vermicelli pudding is spiced with saffron and cardamom and sweetened with dates. Pistachios, cashews and almonds add texture. The Chefs' Line Nana’s date nut loaf The girls tried my nana’s nut loaf for the first time on our working retreat in Byron Bay. We spent four days locked away from all distraction, madly finishing the testing of recipes for this book. A lot of heated debates were had, and one afternoon’s tension was relieved when we all sat down with a good strong cuppa and a thickly buttered slice of nut loaf. Disagreements were resolved, frustrations were calmed and all was good in the MMCC house. ~ Jacqui, MMCC 

If you’re looking to cater for a large crowd of chocolate lovers, look no further. 

This milk and rice vermicelli pudding is spiced with saffron and cardamom and sweetened with dates. Pistachios, cashews and almonds add texture. The Chefs' Line

The girls tried my nana’s nut loaf for the first time on our working retreat in Byron Bay. We spent four days locked away from all distraction, madly finishing the testing of recipes for this book. A lot of heated debates were had, and one afternoon’s tension was relieved when we all sat down with a good strong cuppa and a thickly buttered slice of nut loaf. Disagreements were resolved, frustrations were calmed and all was good in the MMCC house. ~ Jacqui, MMCC 

Sweet, sticky and completely addictive, this one is always a crowd pleaser. Source: Anneka's sticky toffee pudding

The Brits nailed this one: is there a single better use of dates than in a sticky date pudding?

What a way to ring in the new year.

Stone fruit is used in all kinds of Chinese dishes and here a  sweet plum dressing lifts a tossed salad made with shredded chicken and julienned vegetables. A perfectly ripe plum still adds just the right amount of tang to offset its own sweetness.

Cherry and plum bread and butter pudding Buttery brioche bread is topped with cherry jam, fresh plums, pistachios and a velvety layer of custard in this warming dessert. Sumac plums Simple desserts are often overlooked, but they need not be, and can be jazzed up using warming spices. I love these plums, which are roasted with the stones still in to give them maximum flavour. With vanilla fragrance and the sharpness of sumac, they are delicious served with yoghurt and some crushed amaretti biscuits. Crisp-skinned Spanish mackerel with plum agrodolce This recipe is as much about the versatility of plums as it is a crisp-skin fish cooking technique. If you don’t have a fish weight – we can use a pot to weigh the fish down and keep the skin flat on the pan.

Buttery brioche bread is topped with cherry jam, fresh plums, pistachios and a velvety layer of custard in this warming dessert.

Simple desserts are often overlooked, but they need not be, and can be jazzed up using warming spices. I love these plums, which are roasted with the stones still in to give them maximum flavour. With vanilla fragrance and the sharpness of sumac, they are delicious served with yoghurt and some crushed amaretti biscuits.

This recipe is as much about the versatility of plums as it is a crisp-skin fish cooking technique. If you don’t have a fish weight – we can use a pot to weigh the fish down and keep the skin flat on the pan.

It's a little bit streusel, a little bit shortbread and a whole lotta plum.

It's a little bit streusel, a little bit shortbread and a whole lotta plum.

The small, purple damson plum grows across Bavaria and is celebrated in zwetschgenkuchen - a traditional plum cake made in various forms throughout Germany. Fruit and yeast bakes abound in Germany, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one tastier than zwetschgenkuchen (or more fun to pronounce!).

Rolling stones Apricot and almond no-bake slice This is a really easy apricot slice to make for a relaxing morning tea. If you find gluten-free biscuits to use, they're coeliac-friendly, too! 8 ways to get more plum in your tum With summer just around the corner, stone fruits are making a plum-back. The humble plum is a force to be reckoned with, so tread carefully. When done right, these plum dishes will have you saying 'Yum'! Custard pie with peaches (torta pasticciotta con le pesche) I admit the pasticciotto pie takes some effort to make, but it is richly rewarding and will last for days. Lavendar peach lemonade Lavender adds a fragrant note to this homemade lemonade that packs a fruity punch. Olive, feta and apricot chicken The sweet and salty combination of apricots with feta and olives works wonders as a stuffing for chicken.  Rice cooker oatmeal with roasted stone fruit What's great about this oatmeal is that there is no stirring involved - just set and get on with preparing the rest of your breakfast. Summer stone fruit This is a recipe for the height of summer. One of the delights of seasonality is enjoying produce when it is available from local suppliers – not only are you supporting local farmers, the produce will be packed with nutrition and flavour. Eat well: Summer fruits are also good for the brain Summer fruits are back on Australian tables. We've long known cherries and other stone fruits provide a range of essential vitamins and minerals. But here’s another reason to make sure they’re on the shopping list: they’re good for the brain. Caramelised stone fruit with crunchy nut crumble and raspberry yoghurt "I love summer and one of the best things about the warmer weather to me is the abundance of juicy stone fruit. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums and mangoes would all work well in this easy, delicious yet healthy dessert." Kim Williams, Healthy Zest Free-form summer fruit tart This tart is simplicity at its best – a selection of gorgeous summer stone fruit encased in a sweet, easy-peasy pastry. There's no real structure, it's slightly rustic and lets seasonal stone fruits shine. Serve with toffee ice-cream if you can – the combination is sublime.  

This is a really easy apricot slice to make for a relaxing morning tea. If you find gluten-free biscuits to use, they're coeliac-friendly, too!

I admit the pasticciotto pie takes some effort to make, but it is richly rewarding and will last for days.

Lavender adds a fragrant note to this homemade lemonade that packs a fruity punch.

The sweet and salty combination of apricots with feta and olives works wonders as a stuffing for chicken. 

What's great about this oatmeal is that there is no stirring involved - just set and get on with preparing the rest of your breakfast.

This is a recipe for the height of summer. One of the delights of seasonality is enjoying produce when it is available from local suppliers – not only are you supporting local farmers, the produce will be packed with nutrition and flavour.

"I love summer and one of the best things about the warmer weather to me is the abundance of juicy stone fruit. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums and mangoes would all work well in this easy, delicious yet healthy dessert." Kim Williams, Healthy Zest

This tart is simplicity at its best – a selection of gorgeous summer stone fruit encased in a sweet, easy-peasy pastry. There's no real structure, it's slightly rustic and lets seasonal stone fruits shine. Serve with toffee ice-cream if you can – the combination is sublime.

SBS acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia.