Fruit

This play on the classic whiskey smash incorporates spicy, dark rum and the pride of July farmers' markets everywhere: fresh cherries.

How do you make lemon bars even better? Turn them pink. Add bright color and tangy flavor with a splash of fresh raspberry purée.

This antioxidant-and fiber-packed salad is a perfect side for your summer dinner and spring brunches. With the fragrant addition of caraway seeds and curry powder, you'll be in anti-inflammatory (and flavor) heaven.

Firm peach slices will hold their shape even when they are doused in sugar and whiskey and put to a flame. They're delicious on their own, over ice cream, or in this case with sweetened crème fraîche spooned over homemade shortcakes. If you plan to make your own crème fraîche, you'll need to start it a day or two in advance.

At Selamat Pagi, our Balinese restaurant, lime, ginger, and lemongrass are mainstay ingredients, appearing in many dishes. We were thinking about making a sorbet that reflected some of these ingredients and wondered what would happen if we threw all of them together. Our initial taste transported us back to the lush green hills of Bali, after which we were all too disappointed to find ourselves standing in our test kitchen. Along with lemon sorbet, this might be our go-to refreshment when we desperately need to cool off.

Always use firm-fleshed white fish, without skin and bones, to prepare classic ceviche. Avoid oily or fatty varieties of fish.

Most people think of ambrosia salad as a cloud of chunky white fruit in a glass bowl with neatly arranged canned mandarins on top. But we've evolved from those dark ages, and it's high time this salad got a makeover. Ambrosia can be reeeaally delicious, if made with the best, freshest ingredients. If you are even thinking about using dried coconut flakes from a bag, don't bother with this. Sweet fresh coconut meat is what makes it a standout. I don't usually go for aperitifs, but a chilled glass of Lillet is perfect with this salad.