Simple Cooking
Peach and Blue Cheese Toasts
The best blue cheese for this is salty but creamy, not too sharp or funky.
Frozen Yogurt with Poached Peaches
No ice cream maker? Use store-bought frozen yogurt, or serve this over lightly sweetened Greek yogurt.
Grilled Bread with Ricotta & Tomatoes
Use very ripe—even overripe—tomatoes; they'll give up even more juice.
Grilled Lettuces with Crème Fraîche and Avocado
"Don't try this with iceberg," advises Roberta's chef Carlo Mirarchi. Flavorful, robust lettuces work best, allowing you to get grill marks on one side while the rest wilts.
Garlic-and-Rosemary Grilled Chicken with Scallions
Make sure you keep your grill at a steady medium-level heat; if it's too hot, the chicken will char without cooking through.
Red Curry Mussels
You can also make this dish with littleneck or cherrystone clams instead of mussels.
Grilled Bread with Eggplant & Basil
Making the eggplant spread ahead of time has a double upside: The flavors of the mixture will deepen as it sits, and you get to cross something off the list.
Sweet Bell Pepper and Onion Salad
The peppers will go from softened to mushy if they sit too long; you want to serve them with some bite left.
Herby Corn Salad
"Cool and bright, this herb-laced corn salad is my new summer staple." —Alfia Muzio, recipe developer
Parsley, Red Onion, and Pomegranate Salad
Yes, you can treat parsley as a salad green, as long as your bunch isn't woody. Sweet molasses and tart sumac make it vibrant.
Shaved Honeydew, Fennel, and Olive Salad
Dress just before serving so that the fennel will still be crunchy and the melon retains its juices.
Watermelon Gazpacho With Feta Crema
A super-juicy watermelon is key; it should feel heavy for its size and sound hollow when tapped.
Cantaloupe and Black Pepper Granita
A grown-up shaved ice, with a welcome hit of spice from the pepper.
Tomato, Pickled Melon, and Burrata Salad
The flesh immediately surrounding the seeds is the most succulent part of any melon; if you haven't tried eating the crunchy seeds before, hold on to your hat.
Chile Peanut and Pumpkin Seed Snack Mix
This addictive peanut-and-seed mix has "unbeatable summer snack" written all over it. It's got just the right amount of salty-spicy crunch to keep you reaching for another beer, and another handful, and another beer... —A.M.
Ricotta-Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Delicate squash blossoms are a farmers' market treasure. Look for flowers with perky, intact petals and a generous length of stem still attached. Wrap them loosely in damp paper towels and tuck them into a zip-top bag; they'll keep this way in the fridge for a few days. Or bypass the storage completely and turn them into a predinner bite as soon as you get home.—Alison Roman
Tomato, Onion, and Roasted Lemon Salad
Sugared, roasted lemons are edible from rind to flesh and give this salsa-like mix a bracing jolt of sourness.