With so many fruits in peak season by July Fourth, summery desserts almost make themselves.

Fruits are always a treat when eaten unadorned and out of hand, but they’re also the perfect starting place for an impressive variety of pies, cakes, bars, tarts and crumbles.

“This is not the time to be mucking about with complicated recipes,” said cookbook author Barbara Kafka. “I just want it simple so I can taste the fruit when it’s at its best.”

Diana Henry, author of “Pure Simple Cooking,” also favors no fuss. For an elegant, but easy dish she hulls and quarters fresh strawberries, then douses them with enough Beaujolais (or pinot noir) wine to cover, plus a generous sprinkling of sugar. “Leave them to macerate for 30 minutes,” she said, “and there you have it.”

Rhubarb, one of the first crops of the season, can be cooked down with strawberries and enough sugar to balance the tartness, to create a fruit compote that is quintessentially summer.

Kafka uses this blend as a filling for pies and tarts, and as the base for crumbles or cobblers. It’s also wonderful on its own, or spooned over ice cream or pound cake.

Stone fruits are heading into high season by the Fourth.

Henry says she adores roasted stone fruits. Her method is straightforward: Take peaches, apricots and plums, halve or quarter them (depending on size), then place them in a shallow baking dish. Dust liberally with sugar, add some red wine and cassis (the French black currant liqueur), then bake until the fruit is completely tender and caramelized.

“I am always amazed at how luscious and easy this dessert is,” she said. “The heat really brings the best out of even substandard or unripe fruit, and the oven does all the work for you.”

Frozen desserts are another crowd pleaser, and fresh fruits make a perfect base. Ice cream makers are relatively inexpensive and easy to use, but if you have a food processor it’s even easier to make icy, fresh fruit sorbets.

The basic sorbet technique is simple. If using berries, they should be rinsed and frozen on trays until they are solid. Larger fruits should be peeled and cut into smaller pieces before being frozen so your food processor can puree them easily.

Place about 3 cups of frozen fruit and a cup of juice, or a blend of frozen juice concentrate and water, in the bowl of a food processor, then process until smooth. Serve it right away, or transfer to a plastic container and freeze to enjoy later.

For a creamy variation, instead of using juice, freeze a cup of low-fat yogurt or sour cream, then process it in to your sorbet. For a bit more decadence use frozen whipping cream.

Of course, if you have fruit that is absolutely exquisite, the simplest and often most enjoyable approach is to serve it on its own. For instance, Henry likes to fill a shallow bowl with ice cubes and serve really sweet ripe cherries on top.

“Cherries on ice,” she said, “what could be better?”

Or for what Henry describes as an “utterly chic” and hassle-free dessert, give each guest a perfect peach, a sharp knife and a glass of cold, muscat dessert wine. Let each diner peel a peach and slice it into the glass of wine. Leave the peach flesh macerate for 10 minutes, then give out the spoons and watch them eat an elegant do-it-yourself treat.

Fresh or frozen blueberries work equally well in these simple and delicious dessert bars. Once cooled, they transport well and don’t need refrigeration, making them a perfect choice for a July Fourth picnic.

Blueberry Lemon Squares

For the crust:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries

Heat the oven to 400 F.

To make the crust, coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on low to beat together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add the flour and beat just until the mixture forms small crumbs.

Press about two-thirds of the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Set the remaining mixture aside. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Reduce the oven to 350 F.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, flour, lemon zest and salt. Add the eggs and lemon juice, then whisk until smooth.

Spread the blueberries in an even layer over the crust. Pour the filling over the blueberries. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden and the filling is puffed. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into squares. Makes 15 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 250 calories; 115 calories from fat; 13 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 68 mg cholesterol; 31 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 1 g fiber; 119 mg sodium.

Save this grown-up dessert for the adults. Fresh raspberries and the lush flavor of Beaujolais red wine combine for a cooling treat. A granita has a crystallized texture that is less smooth than a sorbet.

Raspberry and Beaujolais Granita

1 1/2 pounds fresh raspberries (4 cups)

3/4 cup superfine sugar, divided

3/4 cup Beaujolais red wine

In a medium bowl, toss the raspberries with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar with 10 tablespoons of the wine. Boil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, puree the sugared berries. Use a mesh strainer to strain the puree into a medium bowl. Mix in the cooled syrup and remaining wine.

Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. After 2 hours, use a fork to scrape the frozen mixture from around the edges of the container and mix it into the rest of the liquid. Cover and return to the freezer.

Repeat the scraping and mixing every 2 hours three more times (for a total of 6 hours additional freezing time). The texture should be crystallized and icy, not smooth like a sorbet. If prepared a day ahead, defrost the granita in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and mix with a fork before serving. Makes 8 servings.

(Recipe from Diana Henry’s “Pure Simple Cooking,” Ten Speed Press, 2009)

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 96 calories; 4 calories from fat; 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 4 g fiber; 2 mg sodium.