Eating a fresh, ripe peach au naturel is one of summer's sensual pleasures. Peaches bursting with flavor also are amazing for savory dishes, even pizza.

You bite into a ripe peach. A drop of delicious juice spills over your lips and traces a wet, sticky trail down your chin.

Now that's summer.

Few experiences in this world are more mind-blowingly sensual than eating a ripe peach bursting with flavor.

But that's a fresh peach, consumed au naturel. What about cooking with peaches? What about using them in savory dishes? Are they still as amazing then?

Of course they are. Peaches are still peaches, even when placed on top of a pizza.

So I put peaches on top of a pizza, where they more than held their own. The secret was my grill.

Using a recipe by Martha Stewart (and I'm not embarrassed to admit that), I grilled the sliced peaches before using them as a flatbread topping. I knew that would caramelize the fruit, making it sweeter, but what I did not anticipate was how just a couple of minutes on the grill would give the peach a smoky flavor.

That extra blast of smoke (more prominent, actually, than the added sweetness) was the perfect accompaniment to a thin layer of salty, smoky prosciutto. A sprinkling of fresh basil added a heady bite, which nicely cut a rich and creamy layer of mozzarella.

And all of this goodness was perched on top of a grilled pizza crust, or at least it would have been if I'd followed Ms. Stewart's recommendation. I wanted something slimmer so the other flavors would stand out more. I wanted to use a grilled flatbread, but just at the critical moment I couldn't find a suitable version at the store.

So I settled on a naan, a thicker-than-flatbread flatbread that is popular in India. I bought three (they come in a three-pack), grilled them and topped them with the peaches, prosciutto, basil and cheese.

They were great. The distinct taste of the naan added one more complementary taste to the toppings, but to be perfectly honest a pizza crust would be just as good, or a flatbread or even a pita.

I wasn't through with savory uses for peaches. If peaches are one of the ultimate expressions of summer, then tomatoes are another. Put them together, and you've got a peach-and-tomato gazpacho.

Ordinarily, peaches and tomatoes do not play well together. Peaches are sweet, tomatoes are acidic, and the flavors do not meld with ease. But a simple secret brings them together in culinary harmony: Just add salt.

Salt brings out the sweetness and tempers the acid in many foods including tomatoes (and even peaches). Just a bit or two of salt turns these two competing fruits into the best of friends.

It's even better when you add a dollop of Greek yogurt that has been mixed with diced cucumber, chives and a minced clove of garlic. It all tastes as great as it sounds.

Yield: About 8 (1-cup) servings5 large peaches, peeled and divided3 large tomatoes, cored and divided½ cup coarsely chopped sweet onion3 tablespoons apple cider vinegarSalt and white pepper, to taste¾ cup finely diced English cucumbers1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish1 garlic clove, minced3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oilCut 4 of the peaches and 2 of the tomatoes into quarters and put in a food processor or blender. Add the sweet onion and vinegar and process until smooth.Chop remaining peach and tomato. Stir into pureed mixture. Season with salt (if it tastes bitter, the salt will add sweetness) and white pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour.Meanwhile, combine cucumber, yogurt and the 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours (chilling can dull the seasoning, so you may need to add more salt and pepper before serving).Ladle gazpacho into bowls. Spoon cucumber mixture over gazpacho. Drizzle each serving with about 1 teaspoon olive oil and serve immediately.Recipe from Southern Living magazine

Yield: 3 (9-inch pizza) servings3 pizza dough crusts, or flatbreads, pita or naan2 peaches, cut into ½-inch wedges1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced12 thin slices prosciutto, cut in half1/3 cup fresh basilExtra-virgin olive oil, for drizzlingHeat a grill or grill pan on high heat and grill pizza crusts, flatbreads, pita or naan until grill marks are dark. Set aside and grill peach wedges until caramelized, about 2 minutes per side.Preheat oven to 400 degrees, or lower grill temperature to medium.Spread cheese on grilled pizza crusts. Bake or grill (covered with a lid) directly on grates until cheese melts and is bubbling, about 8 minutes (time may vary slightly if grilling). Remove from oven or grill.Top with peaches, prosciutto and basil. Drizzle with oil.Recipe from Martha Stewart