Cookbooks

Portland, Oregon, is one of my favorite places to visit—mainly to visit our dearest friends, but also for the fantastic foods and possibly the best farmers’ market in the country. This drink was inspired by a magical afternoon there, spent distillery hopping on a bicycle. The bell pepper is a surprising ingredient; it adds a slight sweetness to this unique, very quaffable beverage.

This is my favorite cake of all time. The buttermilk adds a nice acidity and helps create a moist, light crumb that is a perfect complement to the fruit. This works just as well with pears, apples, and stone fruits; for best results, use fruit that is ripe but not too soft.

This is a wonderful, simple cake that stays very moist thanks to the almond paste. Although this version calls for plums, you can adapt it for every season by substituting blueberries, cooked apple chunks, ripe fuyu persimmons, or other types of stone fruit.

This is one of our deli’s best-selling items in the summer. Two cups may seem like a lot of oil, but the soup really doesn’t have the same rich flavor with any less (we’ve tried). You can, of course, reduce the amount if you like. You can also use any combination of Roma and heirloom tomatoes.

When summer is in full swing and melons are fat and juicy, treat yourself to this delightful, kid-friendly beverage. You can use cantaloupe, honeydew, or a mixture of different melons. Watermelon works best on its own, though—its consistency doesn’t jive with other kinds of melons. For a more adult beverage, try spiking this with tequila or vodka!

We have an ongoing war among some of our staff members, and it centers around green beans. Our chef, Eddy, insists on cooking them just until al dente, whereas I cannot abide a crunchy green bean. It’s entirely up to you, of course; the timing I give here is for making them the way I like them: fully cooked!

When tomatoes are abundant and cucumbers fat and crisp, this salad begs to be made. It’s based on a salad my mother makes, and I consider it a summer classic. This recipe is a template for multiple variations: use white beans instead of the chickpeas, cilantro instead of the basil, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Pimientos de Padrón are little peppers that hail from Spain, where they’re simply prepared and served as a tapa or snack. You can eat these tender peppers whole, and they go perfectly with a glass of crisp dry sherry. This preparation hardly requires a recipe, but it’s so good that it deserves the formal attention of one. If you can’t find Pimientos de Padrón, look for Italian friarielli or Japanese shishitsu peppers (often stocked at Japanese grocers). In their absence, fresh okra spears make an excellent substitute—they just take a little longer to cook. You may also want to add a sprinkle of chile flakes to replicate the occasional heat of the Padróns.

Our chef Eddy developed this recipe based on the salsa he grew up with in Mexico City. It’s a favorite among our customers, especially at the height of summer when the tomatoes and peppers come from our own mini-farm. I love to spoon it over fried eggs after a late night of drinking, but it’s also perfect for picnicking or just snacking. For a milder salsa, remove the seeds from the jalapeño before roasting it.

This is a great basic recipe that allows for interchangeable veggies. You can use any combination of root veggies, including rutabagas, turnips, or different potatoes. The cream adds a nice richness and velvety texture, but you can get a similar effect without the cream if you use a rich, creamy potato like a yellow finn or German butterball. And when it’s available, spring green garlic is a great substitute for the regular garlic for an added burst of flavor.

The combination of strawberry and rhubarb is a classic for good reason: the juicy-sweet strawberries are perfectly balanced by the tart rhubarb. Our version features a crumb crust on top, which works well with a very juicy fruit filling such as this one; a traditional pie crust topping would get soggy. The crumb also provides crunchy textural contrast to the soft fruit inside.

This dish is one of the first things I make once the Pacific salmon season has opened. It is the first sign that summer is near. Later in the summer, I make a similar dish with corn, zucchini, and tomatoes with fresh basil. Any combo of fresh, perfectly sweet, just-picked veggies will be a great complement to the fish. It’s especially important to buy wild salmon—even self-proclaimed “sustainable” salmon farms are dangerous because of the parasitic lice that thrive on farmed salmon; when the infested fish escape (a frequent occurrence), the lice threaten the wild salmon population. If wild salmon isn’t in season, use any sustainable fillet or steak that is of similar thickness. If available, use 1/4 cup chopped green garlic instead of the garlic cloves. And if you can find them, rainbow carrots are beautiful here.

This is one of my favorite ways to showcase the fresh and delicate flavors of spring: sweet peas, tender green garlic, and mint. Serve with crostini or fresh spring veggies as a dip (pictured), or spread it on sandwiches. You can also use fava beans in place of the peas, or use a combination. Truffle pecorino would also work well in this recipe.

Don’t limit yourself to basil in pesto. You can use just about any tender green herb—even baby arugula or spinach, or a combination of herbs. It’s a great way to use up whatever lingers in the bottom of your fridge. This flavorful sauce is perfect for a simple pasta dish. The nuts are optional, but they add a nice viscosity and flavor. Without them, you get a cleaner flavor and more of the true essence of the herbs. On the other hand, a nut-free version is looser and the oils don’t incorporate quite as well. Pesto definitely tastes best as soon as it’s made, but it also freezes incredibly well. Freeze in an ice cube tray and then transfer to a zip-top bag. The cubes are the perfect size for a single portion of pasta, veggies, or a sandwich.

Before we were married, my wife, Anne, used to court me with this tart. She was a pastry chef at San Francisco’s now-razed 42 Degrees restaurant, and they sourced cheese from the same distributor as we did at the Market. Whenever the restaurant got their cheese shipment, Anne would give the delivery guy this tart, and he in turn would deliver it to me on his next stop. I guess the way to my heart truly is through my stomach! Whether you’re being wooed or not, this is a fabulous, timeless tart featuring an easy-to-mix shortbread crust and a tart, rich filling. Top it with whatever fruit is pretty and in season. If you are lucky enough to have access to Meyer lemons, you can replace up to two-thirds of the regular lemon juice with Meyer lemon juice.

Heirloom carrots, with their deep varied hues of orange, yellow, and purple, are ideal for this salad, but you can use regular carrots and it will be just as delicious. Just make sure they’re organic and smaller in size to ensure the same tender, sweet results. You can use a vegetable peeler or a mandoline to make the ribbons. The vegetable peeler takes a little longer, but produces beautifully thin, delicate strips. A mandoline, on the other hand, is faster but makes thicker ribbons if you are not careful. If you go this route, let the ribbons sit for a few minutes after tossing with the dressing so they soften somewhat.

Because of its seductive red color, this granita is the sexiest slushy on earth. It’s incredibly easy to make and requires the simplest of equipment. To take it over the top, serve with whipped cream or, for that Creamsicle effect, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If blood oranges are not available, you can also use ruby grapefruit, Valencia oranges, pomelos, or Meyer lemons. Tarter citruses will require additional sugar, so taste a bit of the mixture before you freeze it.

Every time I make this gratin I get the same response: “This is so good!” Honestly, though, when you combine potatoes and squash with cream, sage, and cheese, how could it not be amazing? This gratin is especially well suited for dinner parties or any other time you need a hearty, make-ahead side dish. It scales up easily (just increase the ingredients and baking dishes accordingly), and it reheats wonderfully.

This autumnal salad is a kaleidoscope of shapes and colors, thanks to the scalloped half-moons of squash, wispy leaves of baby arugula, and shiny red jewels of pomegranate seeds. It’s as visually pleasing as it is delicious. Boasting both tender greens and roasted potatoes, this dish is sort of a half salad, half starchy side dish. As such, you can serve it alone as an entrée or in smaller portions as an accompaniment. You can roast the potatoes and squash and make the dressing well ahead of time, then assemble at the last minute.

Letting the broccolini brown slightly in the pan gives it a boost of flavor. To accomplish this, the broccolini must be absolutely dry when it goes into the pan; otherwise, it’ll steam and won’t take on any color. A large cast-iron skillet is the ideal cooking vessel for this dish.