Who writes an entire book on peaches? Belinda Smith-Sullivan does. “Just Peachy” (Gibbs Smith, $21.99) is a fun and delicious collection of recipes for every course — from cast-iron peach cornbread to spinach peach salad to peach thyme pound cake. I selected the following grilled appetizer — mascarpone prosciutto peach crostini — as it is exactly what I want to serve in the dog days of summer.

If you find you don’t have time to grill the peaches, you can use them raw. You can use nectarines, as well. Smith-Sullivan suggests making your own balsamic syrup, but it is available at most markets and will help you make the recipe that much faster. You can also make up the crostini toasts earlier in the day and keep them at room temperature until you assemble them.

I like the complementary flavors of the Italian mascarpone with the slightly salty prosciutto, peppery arugula leaves and sweet, juicy grilled peach slices. A chilled bottle of rosé will bring all the flavors together for a refreshing cocktail hour.