Summ
119 recipes found
Apple and Plum Croustade (Croustade aux Pommes et Prunes)
Rustic is best when you are trying to make the most of your high-season fruit. Rolling up your sleeves and getting down to what suits the fruit — like a simple crust around lightly sweetened fruit — seems to be the call of the season for bakers who don’t want to mess with a good thing. This croustade is that dish, the one that keeps things easy. A classic French double layer pie, croustade is worth heating up your kitchen on a hot summer’s day and does not disappoint in its beautiful simplicity. The flaky crust holds the sweet-tart fruit and balances it perfectly with its sparkling sugar topping. You might also want to embrace the croustade’s rustic nature and simply serve it with a dollop of crème fraîche, but lightly sweetened whipped cream, crème anglaise or a scoop of speckled vanilla bean ice cream are also perfect additions. This French classic is a hit at any table, bien sûr.
Feta-Ranch Wedge Salad
A towering wedge salad is fun to look at, but the height and shape make it impractical for a couple reasons: Toppings tumble right off and dressings can’t permeate it properly. This recipe fixes all that by calling for thinly sliced wedges that are stacked on their sides. The toppings stay put, and the dressing can work its way into all the little nooks and crannies. This salad looks impressive, it tastes delicious and it’s actually quite no-fuss: You can make the dressing days ahead of time, and swap in whatever herbs, spices, seasonings you have and crave. The only tricky aspect is emulsifying your feta. The key is time: Scrape the sides as needed and keep blending. With some coaxing, it always gets there.
Seven Layer Salad
As its name implies, this colorful retro salad is composed of seven distinct layers, including vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, shredded cheese and a creamy dressing. The salad is not tossed, but gets mixed upon serving, allowing for a beautiful presentation and a dish that works well when made in advance. This recipe includes the ingredients and layers typically seen in a seven layer salad, but feel free to swap in your own favorites, using some crunchy cucumber or bell pepper in place of the peas, or avocado in place of the hard-boiled eggs. You can also have fun with the layering, as long as you keep the lettuce and tomato far from the dressing so the salad stays fresh and crisp. The optional red onion is technically an extra layer, but its sharpness works really well with the richness of the dressing, bacon and cheese.
Heirloom Tomato Salad With Ricotta and Chile Oil
Come tomato season, there is no wrong way to make a tomato salad, but this one from my book “Big Vegan Flavor” (Avery Books, 2024) is exceptional. Dollops of creamy ricotta gently swaddle meaty wedges of heirloom tomatoes, while shallots and garlic add a piquant bite. Everything gets drizzled with a mild chile oil and finished with the tomato’s best friends: fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and flaky sea salt. It’s so simple (and fantastic), there’s no excuse to not make it once tomatoes roll into season. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this salad served with grilled bread is one of life’s finest summer pleasures. Bonus: The human body can better absorb the lycopene in tomatoes when it’s paired with a healthy fat, such as olive oil. So enjoy the heck out of that chile oil. (Watch Nisha make this recipe on YouTube.)
Tomato-Pepper Salad With Tapenade
This is perfect Provençal summer fare, with all the sweet flavors of the season. The tapenade, a pungent combination of olives, garlic, capers and anchovy, can be prepared by hand or in a food processor and can serve as a base to a bright salad of tomatoes and peppers. And it’s an ideal condiment for keep on hand, to pair with bright salads or serve over warm garlic toast.
Pesto Pasta With Corn and Green Beans
Fresh summer green beans are the best, and, if you can get them in your own vegetable garden, all the better. They’re most tender when picked on the small side, so aim for that in the garden and at the farm stand. Here, they combine with sweet corn kernels and a basil pesto for a luscious summer pasta that also happens to be nut-free, just parsley, basil, garlic, Parmesan, pecorino and olive oil.
No-Bake Peaches and Cream Cake
Like tiramisù, this simple-to-assemble dessert uses store-bought Italian ladyfingers available at many supermarkets. Made with fresh peaches and brandy, it’s a creamy, boozy, fruity delight that’s a perfect end to a summer meal. It’s also easily made without ever turning on the oven, just waiting in the fridge until ready to serve. If desired, sprinkle with toasted chopped almonds or pistachios just before serving.
Coconut-Lime Wedge Salad
This recipe provides the essential texture found in a classic wedge salad, but updates the flavors for summer, with a coconut vinaigrette and crunchy, sweet-savory coconut crumbles. Sweetened with agave or maple syrup and baked until crisped, the coconut flakes serve as a plant-based alternative to the usual bacon found in the wedge. The crumble can be prepared in advance, and can even be eaten as a snack on its own or put on top of a scoop of cottage cheese. The coconut-lime dressing is a little nutty and tangy, and makes this cooling salad very refreshing on hotter days and beyond.
Brothy Tomato Rice Soup
This quick and nourishing soup captures the concentrated umami, acidic-sweet brightness and floral aroma of fresh tomatoes. If you can buy the ones on the vine, you’ll end up with an even more intense scent. Fragrant jasmine rice lends body and thickens the broth just enough. The perfect lunch or light dinner, this comforting meal reheats beautifully, too, to a texture not dissimilar to congee or juk, and tastes like peak summer in soup form. A note on cooking with tomato vines: They lend a surprising tomatoey flavor to brothy curries and soups like this, accentuating the aroma of the fruit in a beautiful way, but they do contain plant defenses called glycoalkaloids, so don’t eat them.
Melon Salad With Nectarines, Tomatoes and Basil
The principle behind this summer salad is “take what is great from what is right around you and do very little to it,” Hannah Shizgal-Paris, the chef of Roman’s, in Brooklyn, says. The recipe showcases cantaloupe and nectarines, but any firm-fleshed melon and vivid stone fruit will do. Everything depends on the quality of the produce at hand and the stage it’s in: If the melon is crunchy, you cut it thin; if starting to soften, cut it thick. Contrast comes from capers, pecorino, chile (less for heat than punctuation), and a pucker of lemon to finish. Be sure to season each ingredient separately and build the salad in layers, rather than dumping everything in all at once. Taste as you go, and keep it all nice and cool. It’s a dish only for this sun-drunk time. Eat it while you can.
Suya Spiced Grilled Chicken Thighs With Nectarines
Suya spice, sometimes known as yaji, is easy to love as an all round spice with its blend of ground roasted peanuts and smoky, fragrant spices. If you are new to it, think of it as a seasoning that can top everything: charred meat, chicken, fish and blistered vegetables. Here, it is sprinkled over grilled chicken served with a tangy salad of grilled scallions and nectarines. Let all the ingredients develop dark brown grill marks, as the char only enhances the flavor of the spice mix. Finish the dish with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts and a mound of additional suya spice on your plate.
Burst Cherry Tomato Orzotto
Peak-season cherry tomatoes and fragrant basil join forces in this light and summery one-pot orzotto. Cherry tomatoes are first cooked down with aromatics until they burst and their juices thicken. This concentrated tomato mixture fortifies the broth, imparting its flavor to the orzo. Stirring every minute or so releases the pasta’s starch, while a pat of butter makes this dish silky and that much more reminiscent of a saucy risotto. The orzotto is only as good as the tomatoes you use, so be sure to use the best ones you can get your hands on. Topping each serving with a handful of arugula is a wonderful way to incorporate more greens and add a bit of fresh, peppery zing.
Chile-Garlic Salmon With Mango and Cucumber Salad
Colorful and complex, this spicy glazed salmon with mango-cucumber salad packs a ton of flavors and textures into a quick weeknight meal. While the salmon roasts in the oven, you chop up a refreshing salad of crunchy cucumber, sweet ripe mango and creamy avocado. Side by side, both components make a bright, breezy meal, but you can also serve with white rice if you’re craving a more filling dinner. The spicy-sweet salmon sauce is built from pantry ingredients (soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, garlic and chile-garlic sauce) and readily adapts to your preferred sweetness and spice levels. While the salmon can be eaten the next day, the mango-cucumber salad is best eaten right away, when it’s at its best and brightest.
Zesty Grilled Chicken With Citrus Slaw
This flavor-packed chicken draws inspiration from Sonoran-style charcoal-grilled chicken that’s marinated in a blend of orange juice and aromatic spices. Here, the chicken is served on top of a quick, tangy carrot and cabbage slaw that adds a refreshing pickle-like crunch and beautiful color to your plate. For deeper flavor, marinate the chicken overnight, then bring it to room temperature before cooking. Whether you prefer the smokiness of an outdoor grill or the convenience of a cast-iron skillet in your oven, the chicken emerges juicy and deeply flavored. Eat as-is, or serve alongside quinoa, rice or French fries.
Zucchini Salad With Sizzled Pistachios
In this clever salad, fresh raw zucchini is bathed in a nutty oil accented with big bursts of jewel-like lemon; each bite is equal parts rich and bright. Warming the oil with the pistachios until they sizzle infuses it with their flavor. Whole lemons, peeled down to the flesh and then sliced, are then stirred into the pistachio oil. A little black pepper, spicy red pepper flakes and feta cheese (which is optional) turn this into a salad equally ready to grace a summer spread or pack ahead for lunch. It can also be a great side for hot-mustard grilled chicken, roasted salmon, sheet-pan feta or even just a bowl of hummus and some thick-cut toast.
Strawberry Pasta
This Polish childhood staple of creamy strawberry sauce over pasta is a fast, fuss-free way to make the most of peak summer berries.
Ginger-Lime Cucumber Salad
Cooling, refreshing and supremely easy to make, this cucumber salad spotlights spicy ginger, bright lime juice and a blend of fresh herbs to emphasize its green color and flavor. The most essential ingredient, an often-overlooked component in the cucumber universe, is patience. Marinating cucumbers, even if only for 10 minutes, allows new and distinct flavors the opportunity to penetrate the juicy flesh, resulting in a more savory outcome. Make this salad a couple of hours before serving, or even the night before, to allow the dressing its most optimal influence. Spoon this salad over freshly toasted, crusty bread, with or without a few slices of gravlax, along with the juices that inevitably pool at the bottom of the salad bowl.
Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake
It seems like everyone has a glut of zucchini in the summer, and this is a great way to make a dent in that pile of produce. This simple cake batter has a hint of cinnamon and a generous amount of lemon zest, and the finished cake is coated with two layers of lemon glaze for a crackly, sweet and tart finish. The classic Bundt shape and its long shelf life makes this the perfect cake to have on your counter for both afternoon snacks and unexpected guests all season long.
Roasted Pepper, White Bean and Mozzarella Salad
Sweet, fruity jarred roasted peppers power this hearty cannellini bean salad that comes together with almost no preparation. Like many jarred vegetables, store-bought roasted peppers are a timesaver without any sacrifice in flavor; opt for fire-roasted ones, if available, for smokier notes. Here, the succulent texture and vibrant hue of roasted peppers pair beautifully with tender cannellini beans and creamy mozzarella. You can put down that knife: As there’s no chopping required, you’ll create a range of textures by simply tearing the peppers, mozzarella and herbs. If you’ve got a glut of fresh summer bell peppers available, you can take advantage of them at their prime by roasting them for this salad, using any color or variety; check the Tip for instructions.
Mango Pepper Relish
This savory relish extends mango’s reach beyond its season — because your memories of the fruit shouldn’t be the only thing that lingers. Here, mangoes, bell peppers and hot chile are simmered in a syrup of lime juice and sugar for a condiment that pops with citrus and heat. Pair it with off-the-grill chicken or fish, dot it on creamy cheese or dollop it on toasted bread. This relish will keep refrigerated for up to 10 days and frozen for up to 2 months.
Mango-Tomato Salad
This simple salad, anchored from veering too sweet by delicate greens and just-tart vinegar, will suit any style of mango. A hearty knife and fork salad, it’s great as a full lunch or alongside other vegetables or meats, with each bite highlighting the ingredients’ simplicity.
Caramelized Peaches With Rum and Cream
This dessert is all about deep, sultry flavors: the warmth of rum, the smoky sweetness of muscovado sugar and the buttery richness of caramelized peaches. The peaches are pan-roasted until golden and tender, then finished with a luscious cream made from Greek yogurt and mascarpone, topped with a scattering of sugar that slowly melts into a delicate crunch. The result is a beautiful contrast of hot and cold, sweet and tangy, smooth and crisp, with toasted sesame and sea salt adding just the right amount of intrigue. A simple, elegant way to let summer’s best fruit shine. If making in advance, prepare all the elements but don’t assemble right away. When ready to serve, warm the peaches over medium heat for five minutes, then add the toppings.
Shrimp Aguachile
Aguachile, the bright and punchy seafood dish from coastal Sinaloa, Mexico, gets its name (which translates to “chile water”) from the vibrant blend of chiles, lime juice and salt that transform the sweet flesh of raw shrimp into tender, tart flavor bombs. Unlike ceviche, where seafood marinates in citrus until it's fully “cooked,” aguachile hits the table soon after the shrimp meets the zesty chile water. While the aguachile is on your plate, the lime juice continues its work on the sweet, delicate shrimp, so each bite offers a slightly different texture without ever turning rubbery. Use as many serranos as your heart desires and your palate can handle.
Tomato, Bacon and Corn Salad
This super-summery salad is all about big, bold bites — juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, creamy avocado and crispy bacon. It’s tossed with nothing more than a generous squeeze of lime and a little reserved bacon fat for extra richness and smokiness. Plenty of cilantro (or another herb of your choice) keeps it fresh. It’s hearty enough to be dinner, but also plays well with anything grilled, roasted or just eaten outdoors. Some thick toast on the side could make this a full meal.