I love these homey tarts, which are a cinch to make and can take advantage of any stone fruit, which are so wonderful for baking. Apricots, plums, and pluots are especially nice-their sweet but slightly astringent flavor mellows and deepens in the heat, and as the moisture cooks off, the texture gets slightly chewy. Take advantage of the palette of colors at the market and use a mix. I often see stone fruit paired with amaretti cookies, but they're not so easy to find, so I use good old Nabisco gingersnaps. Serve with ice cream.

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, toss the apricots with the sugar, flour, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside (don't do this more than 15 minutes ahead, or the apricots may give off a lot of juice).

2. On a lightly floured counter, roll the pastry into a 9-by-13 1/2-inch rectangle and cut it into six 4 1/2-inch squares. Arrange the pastry squares on a baking sheet. Brush each with melted butter. Sprinkle a pile of gingersnap crumbs in the center of each pastry square, leaving about a 1-inch border. Divide the apricots among the pastry squares, just piling them haphazardly in the center, no need to arrange.

3. Pull up all four corners of each square and pinch the points together in the center (they will come apart a bit as they bake). Bake until the pastry is puffed and brown and the edges of the apricots are slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes to ensure that the pastry is cooked through and the fruit is a little drier. Transfer to a cooling rack, dust with powdered sugar, if you like, and serve warm.

Makes 6 4 inch tarts