Nut-Free

As co-chefs at Hog & Hominy in Memphis, Michael Hudman and Andy Ticer see each other daily, but the old friends still cook together on days off. “Andy does the steak,” says Hudman, “and I do the pasta.”

They look unassuming, but these little jars of unctuous spiced meat served with crunchy toast and rich shallots are a decadent and satisfying treat.

Blanched garlic, which is sweet and mild, is blended with briny clam liquor and olive oil to make a creamy white sauce for this unconventional pizza.

The ginger “bug,” which jump-starts the fermentation in this recipe from chef Cortney Burns, Bar Tartine, San Francisco, specifically uses organic ginger because it’s rich in microbes. You’ll have extra bug; use it to make more grape soda, or try 4 cups fresh unpasteurized apple juice in place of grape.

This dish is only as good as the crab it’s made with; buy the best you can get.

Try chef Rene Ortiz’s Ginger-Garlic Tofu with his addictive broccolini. A generous dose of red pepper flakes, a good hunk of butter, and a big squeeze of lemon transform them. “The fat, the butter, the acid,” says Ortiz, chef at Sway, Austin: “It makes you want to keep going back for more.”

At farmers’ markets, look for Golden Bantam or Silver Queen varieties to make this tarragon creamed corn recipe.

Prep like a pro: Chef Mike Lata of The Ordinary in Charleston, South Carolina, makes the vierge (a Southern take on the traditional French accompaniment to seafood) in the morning, so that when dinner rolls around, all that’s left to do is sear the fish.

To give steaks a boost, chef David Myers of Hinoki & the Bird in Los Angeles, makes an herb rub (he likes to dry the herbs himself; if you don’t have a microwave, sub in 1 tsp. of each dried herb) and pairs the meat with a tart ponzu sauce (ponzu is available at Asian markets and some supermarkets).

Thanks to two very hands-off methods for the lamb and polenta, this is an excellent choice for a dinner party.

Feel free to play with different herbs in the chimichurri recipe—that’s what Michael and Patrick Sheerin (brothers and co-chefs at Trenchermen, Chicago) have always done: “When we were younger, our mom would buy lots of herbs, but she’d never use them,” says Michael. “So we’d just blend them with garlic, oil, and vinegar.”

Chef Rene Ortiz of Sway in Austin, cooks a lot of tofu for his young vegetarian son. “He loves it,” says Ortiz, “and in order for all of us to eat it, it has to taste like something.” Ortiz’s solution: Let the porous tofu soak up the flavors of malty Chinese black vinegar and soy sauce.

At Lafayette restaurant in New York City, the lamb is served with cooked quinoa that’s folded into couscous, but you could simply choose one or the other as a side dish.

When folding the plum purée into the semifreddo base, don't overdo it. The mixture will continue to blend when you transfer it to the pan. There should be large ribbons of purée visible; that's how this dessert gets its marbled look.

We developed this thick, garlicky yogurt sauce sprinkled with tart sumac to pair with eggplants that had been roasted directly on a bed of hot coals. They get so smoky and silky, that this cold, creamy sauce paired perfectly—especially when served with grilled naan. That said, you can use it on just about anything. Feel free to experiment with other seasonings besides sumac, like lemon zest, za'atar, or crushed red pepper flakes.

Lillet, a fruity, easy-drinking fortified wine, is a staple in Chef Ripert's summer pantry. For more ideas on how to use it, go to bonappetit.com/go/ripert.

This dish is equally as good at room temperature (read: picnics).