As we head into the heart of summer, we’re spreading out the cotton tablecloths for a season’s worth of picnics and celebrations.The trick, of course, is making those events memorable and delicious, without making them labor-intensive as well. And a spectacular dessert that showcases summer’s bounty leaves a gorgeous, lasting impression.So, we turned to a trio of cookbook authors — notable chefs and food writers whose books are zooming up best-seller lists — for suggestions on how to make a special, all-American dessert that’s party perfect, but has all the ease of a summer breeze.The answers were sublime: raspberry and blueberry tarts, warm cornmeal shortcakes with strawberries, and chocolate cupcakes with a cherry on top — Bing, not maraschino.In short, the answer begins with beautiful fruit.“There’s no reason to get a really fussy dessert in summer, when the fruit is practically dessert itself,” says Janet Fletcher, a Chez Panisse alum and James Beard Award-winning writer. Fletcher’s most recent book, “Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers,” is a love letter to the nation’s small, organic farms — and it brims with dessert ideas.“I love fruit desserts, so I look to the berries and the peaches and the stone fruits of summer,” Fletcher says. “One of the simplest things you can make — it’s a great party dessert because you can make it ahead — is a Summer Fruit Macedonia. It’s basically a fruit salad.”Fletcher soaks nectarines, plums, berries and cherries in a wine syrup — 1 ½ cups each wine and water, and a ½ cup sugar, cooked to a syrupy consistency.“I make it hours ahead and it just gets better, because the fruit gives up its juices. I add a little Sambuca or a little kirsch, and serve it in a beautiful wine glass with a cookie,” she says.Use the best, most perfectly ripe fruit, says Jennie Schacht, an Oakland, Calif., food writer whose latest book, “Farmers’ Market Desserts,” features autumnal pear cobblers and berry-filled dishes for spring.“Farmers markets are perfect for that. The fruit’s so good, it can speak for itself,” she says. “Parfaits are really easy to make. You make all the components ahead.”Schacht tucks a crunchy oatmeal topping between layers of fresh blueberries, sweet cream, and fresh raspberries or poached rhubarb, then serves the confection in tall glasses. Swap yogurt for the cream, and it makes a great breakfast treat.Cobblers, pies and galettes make lovely summer desserts, too. A simple tart — like the one that adorns the cover of Deborah Madison’s new “Seasonal Fruit Desserts from Orchard, Farm and Market” — filled with crimson raspberries and glossy blueberries, adds patriotic hues to any summer gathering.Madison was the founding chef at San Francisco’s Greens, but she got her feet wet — or rather, her hands floury — at Chez Panisse, where Lindsey Shere was her “pastry mentor.”“I was originally going to call this book ‘Desserts for the Pastry-Impaired,’ Madison says, her laughter ringing across the phone lines from her New Mexico home.Madison takes a cook’s approach. Fresh, seasonal fruit is the star, and the pastry merely a buttery backdrop. There’s no puff pastry fussiness to distract from the glory of what she calls “Lindsey’s Austere Berry Tart.” Instead, Madison’s tart pans are lined with a forgiving, buttery pastry dough that can be rolled out and eased into a pan, or gently kneaded and patted into place.“It’s not going to go weird on you,” she promises.Fill the tart with berries, then pop it back into the oven to release the fruit’s perfume.“It really can be that simple,” says Madison. “The real message is get out of the supermarket and look for fruit that really has flavor. It’s got to have perfume. You want it to be sensational. You want to be swept off your feet.”

APRIUM AND BOYSENBERRY COBBLER—Yield: 6 servings

FRUIT1/2 cup sugar1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch2 pounds stone fruit, peeled, pitted and sliced 1/2-inch thick1 1/2 cups boysenberries

BISCUIT TOPPING1 1/2 cups unbleached flour2 tablespoons sugar2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon kosher salt6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces1/2cup whole milk2 teaspoons coarse sugarNote: This summer cobbler is wonderful with apriums, peaches, nectarines, plums or pluots.

Procedure:1. Preheat oven to 425.2. For fruit, whisk sugar and cornstarch, add to stone fruit in large bowl and toss to coat. Add boysenberries and toss gently. Pour into baking dish.3. For topping, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to food processor and pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until bits are no larger than a pea.4. Transfer to bowl and stir in milk with a fork, tossing gently, just until moistened. Knead gently with your hands, just until mixture forms a cohesive dough. Turn onto work surface and pat into 1/2-inch thick round.5. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out 6 biscuits and place atop fruit. Brush lightly with milk, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake until biscuits are nicely browned and fruit is bubbly, 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly.Source: “Eating Local,” by Janet Fletcher

LINDSEY’S AUSTERE BERRY TART—Yield: 1 (9-inch) tart

TART DOUGH1 cup all-purpose flour (or 3/4 cup white plus 1/4 cup whole- wheat pastry flour)1 tablespoon brown sugar1/4 teaspoon salt1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks1 tablespoon cold water1/4 teaspoon vanilla1/4 teaspoon almond extract

BERRIES2-3 cups berries3 tablespoons raspberry jam or red currant jellyConfectioner’s sugarNote: Serve this Chez Panisse-inspired tart with a little sweetened whipped cream, flavored with Kirsch or vanilla.

Procedure:1. Pulse flour, sugar and salt in food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until bits are no larger than a baby pea. Combine water, vanilla and almond extract, then drizzle it in and pulse just until large, moist crumbs form.2. Gather dough into a mass, shape into a disk and refrigerate 30 minutes.Roll tart dough into a 10-inch round. Ease it into a 9-inch tart pan (or smaller individual pans) using excess dough to build up sides to 1/4-inch thickness. Chill pan while you preheat oven to 375 degrees.3. Line tart pan with foil and pie weights and bake 15-20 minutes. Remove foil, then bake until golden, 12-15 minutes more.4. Wash berries and lay them out on a towel to dry.5. Heat jam with a few teaspoons of water to thin it, then press through a sieve. Brush half on the tart shell. Then fill the shell with berries, wedging them close together in a single layer. Bake 5 minutes.6. Reheat remaining jam, then dab a little over each berry. Remove tart from pan, dust edges with confectioner’s sugar and serve.Source: Adapted from “Seasonal Fruit Desserts From Orchard, Farm and Market,” by Deborah Madison

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CUPCAKES—Yield: 1 dozen cupcakes

BATTER36 firm-ripe cherries, at least 12 with stems1 tablespoon kirsch1 1/3 cups unbleached flour1 cup sugar1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon kosher salt3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water5 tablespoon canola oil1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar3/4 teaspoon vanilla

FROSTING1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped1 1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature1 1/2 teaspoons kirschProcedure:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners.2. For batter, set aside 12 cherries with stems. Stem and pit remaining cherries; cut into halves if small, quarters if large. Toss with 1 tablespoon kirsch and set aside.3. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Blend in water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Fold in cherries and their juice.4. Fill cupcake papers about 2/3 full. Bake until toothpick inserted in center tests clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.5. For frosting, melt chocolates in double boiler. Stir in sour cream and kirsch. Set aside to firm up until spreadable, about 20 minutes.6. Using icing spatula or pastry bag fitted with a No. 16 star tip, frost cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a reserved cherry. Leftover cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 2 days.Source: “Farmers Market Desserts,” by Jennie Schacht

WARM CORNMEAL SHORTCAKE WITH FARM STAND BERRIES—Yield: 8 servings

CORNMEAL CAKE3/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for pan1 1/2 cups sifted, unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for pan2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda2/3 cup yellow cornmeal1/2 cup fine semolina1/2 teaspoon kosher salt2/3 cup sugar2 large eggs1/2 teaspoon almond extract1 cup buttermilk

BERRIES3 pints mixed juice berries1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided4 teaspoons brandy1 cup cream1/4 teaspoon vanillaProcedure:1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with butter. Lightly coat bottom and sides with flour.2. Sift flour, baking powder and soda together into medium bowl. Whisk in cornmeal, semolina and salt.3. Using an electric mixer, cream butter. Add sugar gradually, beating until mixture is pale and light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in almond extract.4. On low speed, add half the dry ingredients and beat just until blended. Beat in buttermilk, then remaining dry ingredients, just until blended. Pour batter into pan.5. Bake until cake is firm to the touch and beginning to pull away from sides of pan, 45-50 minutes. A cake tester inserted in center should come out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out of pan and finish cooling on rack.6. Combine berries, 1/4 cup sugar and brandy. Stir gently and let macerate at room temperature 1 hour.7. Whisk cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Chill until ready to serve.8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut ends off cake, then cut into 8 equal slices. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet and toast until hot and crusty, 5 minutes. Transfer to plates, top with berries and their juices, and cream.Source: “Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers,” by Janet Fletcher

Aprium and boysenberry cobbler Photo by MCCLATCHY

Lindsey’s berry tarts are relatively simple, featuring a forgiving pastry dough and crammed with raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Photo by MCCLATCHY