Our resident cooking contessa, Monica Puri Bangia, brings us two simple yet fresh and inventive recipes that are just perfect your South Orange Labor Day picnic or backyard barbeque: Nectarine and tomato salad and quick Italian-style burgers. Enjoy!

Summer is almost over but the fresh produce is in abundance at our local Farmers Market.

I brought home a large bag of nectarines recently that gave out an aroma to die for. I sat them outside on my counter and ate a few—they were delicious. I happened to have the radio on and someone was talking about the abundant tomato crop we have this year, partly due to the hot weather.

He mentioned a tomato and peach salad.

It sounded like a strange combination but the more he described it, the more I wanted to make it. The key ingredient was balsamic glaze. It is essentially balsamic vinegar cooked down until it becomes thick and sweet. I happen to have some from Italy but it is available at super markets in the vinegar aisle or you could make your own.

I decided to use the nectarines I had purchased from the market and cherry tomatoes from my back yard.

I cut the fruits and added salt and good extra virgin olive oil. They sat on my counter for a few hours. It helped their flavors to get to know each other and marry. The rest is simple: I added the balsamic glaze and fresh thyme (from my back yard).

I felt I was back in Italy, whipping something up with fresh ingredients I found in a market. The flavor was astonishing—very simple, yet delicious. The key is good, fresh ingredients and the result is always amazing.

Enjoy this easy-to-make salad this coming weekend….

Nectarine and Tomato Salad

2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 to 2 nectarines cut into ½ inch pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons balsamic glaze

2 teaspoon fresh thyme

Add the cherry tomatoes and nectarines into a medium bowl. Add the salt and olive oil. Let them sit for at least an hour. Add the fresh thyme and balsamic glaze and serve.

Quick Italian-Style Burgers

I love making all kinds of burgers at home. I like a lot of flavor in everything I eat and make and love the idea of adding loads of it inside the patties.

I came up with these burgers on a very busy Friday evening. I was out all day and didn't have time to cook dinner. The weather called for grilling outside and eating burgers accompanied by a light salad and potato wedges came to mind.

My husband suggested I buy the ready-to-grill patties from the market—to make it fast and easy. I had no desire to purchase already-formed burgers—I am never sure what they put in them. Plus I wanted to go buy my own grass-fed beef and flavor it with some wonderful aromatics.

I went into my backyard and brought in some fresh basil, rosemary and thyme. I chopped them up with some garlic cloves. I grated a large shallot—the juice keeps the meat soft. I mixed up the meat forming five equal patties with the help of a half-cup measure.

I wanted to modify regular mayonnaise and make my own but I didn't have time- but if you do, try this recipe. I made it for Memorial Day and the mayonnaise includes sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice and parsley. I would eliminate the cilantro since I don't think it compliments Italian cuisine as well as others.

I bought ciabatta rolls for the meal. I love eating my burgers in a crusty roll, not a soft one. These worked really well. They have great texture both on the outside as well as the inside.

I had a beautiful yellow heirloom tomato sitting on my counter. I thought it would be perfect with the juicy burgers. I took out some mixed greens from the fridge and we had a lovely meal.

I roasted potato wedges in the oven and whipped up the nectarine and tomato salad and opened a lovely bottle of Rose.

You don't have to work too hard in the kitchen to come up with something delicious and healthy. Enjoy the last weekend of the summer and enjoy the burgers!

Quick Italian-Style Burgers

1 pound ground grass fed beef

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large shallot, grated

1 teaspoon salt

Add the beef, basil, rosemary, thyme, garlic, shallot and salt. Mix well and form 4 to 5 patties. Keep aside.

Grill the burgers to the desired doneness.

4 to 5 ciabatta or French rolls

Mayonnaise

Mixed greens

Sliced tomatoes

Assemble the burgers and serve with salad and potato wedges.

Monica Puri Bangia is a cooking coach who teaches in her Maplewood home and the Maplewood/South Orange Adult School. She writes about food and ingredients including recipes for The Local as well as her own Sharing Plate blog where she posts mostly healthy, quick recipes for weeknight dinners. Puri Bangia also contributes kid friendly and healthy recipes to Kiwi magazine. For Patch, she will be reviewing local eating places and replicating dishes that she enjoys and including recipes that form in her head from time to time that may be relevant to you.