Peaches

Fresh peaches are showing up all over town in pastries, ice creams and the simplest and best dish of all--peaches and cream.

* Polly’s Pies: Polly’s makes baked peach pie year-round, and a pie filled with raw peach slices when peaches are in season. Whipped cream or ice cream topping, 75 cents; whole pie prices include a 45-cent tin deposit. (Raw peach pie, $2.99/slice, $8.40/pie; baked peach pie, $2.69/slice; $7.90/pie.) Polly’s Pies, 501 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 394-9721.

* Spago Hollywood: Pastry chef Sherry Yard is putting the peach through its paces this summer. She encrusts rings of Saturn peach in biscotti crumbs and bakes them for a low-fat extravaganza. She also makes a pink soup of Snow Queen peaches and muscat wine, a peach gelato (served with a deep-dish Persian mulberry tart), a peach strudel and a caramel souffle oozing fresh peach compote. (Peach desserts, $8 to $9.) Spago Hollywood, 8795 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 652-4025.

* Fosselman’s: Every year this local company makes ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet from fresh Mission red peaches. You can find the ice cream at restaurants and soda fountains, or you can go right to the charming ice cream parlor adjacent to the plant in Alhambra. (Peach ice cream, frozen yogurt or sorbet, $1.45/scoop, $5.25/half-gallon, $3.50/hand-packed pint; larger sizes also available.) Fosselman’s Ice Cream Co., 1824 W. Main St., Alhambra, (626) 282-6533.

* Babalu: For a peach pie like Mom used to make--or considerably better--check out the juicy lattice-topped version at this Montana Avenue Caribbean cafe. (Peach pie, $5/slice, $6.50/a la mode; $28/whole pie.) Babalu, 1002 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 395-2500.

* House of Pies: Among the 30-plus pies served at this old-time Los Feliz coffee shop is the fresh peach pie--just slices of fresh peach in a light glaze, topped with whipped cream. (Peach pie, $3/slice, $9.65/whole pie.) House of Pies, 1869 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 666-9961.

* Donut Man: This Glendora shop makes doughnuts filled to bursting with fresh, ripe sliced peaches in a juicy glaze. If you’re awake some morning at 3 a.m. or so, drive over for a hot one. (Peach doughnuts, $1.85.) Donut Man, 915 E. Alosta St., Glendora, (626) 963-7412.

* John O’Groats: In a brilliant stroke of simplicity, this esteemed breakfast spot serves a bowl of sliced fresh peaches with your choice, heavy cream or whipped cream. (Bowl of peaches, $3.75.) John O’Groats, 10516 Pico Blvd., Rancho Park, (310) 204-0692.

* Europane: Sumi Chang is making an individual-sized white peach puff pastry tart accented with blueberries and glazed with caramelized sugar. (Peach pastries, $3.50.) Europane, 950 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (818) 577-1828.