The Summer Formula: 15 Recipes That Are Mathematically Proven to Be Perfect
Quick + simple = summer. Our formula for perfect peak-season meals combines pristine produce, staff staples (we can’t quit you, smash burger), and the kinds of flexible, fundamental recipes that work with whatever looks good at the market.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Molly Baz, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen1/9Ripe Fruit + A Deep Freeze + Splash of Lime = Peak Season Slushies
When you’re done with your morning cold brew but not quite ready to day drink, that’s when it’s time for these slushies. Juicy and cooling, this is where ripe fruit goes to heaven (plan ahead and freeze seasonal produce yourself!). And when you are ready to day drink? Well, that’s when you add a splash of tequila.
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Chill-Out Honeydew Cucumber Slushy
Beauty-Food Mango Slushy
Inflammation-Busting Pineapple Slushy
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski2/9Blanched Veg + Jammy Eggs + Just Enough Effort = Any Way Niçoise
Nothing says “I’m on vacation” like a two-hour, three-glasses-of-rosé lunch. The key is finding a dish whose prep won’t eat into valuable dozing-off-with-a-book-in-your-lap time. Enter this salad. Pair whatever produce you’ve got with 7-minute eggs, a mustardy dressing you can make ahead, and almost any protein: leftover steak or salmon, rotisserie chicken, or beans, to name a few.
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Tuna Niçoise Salad
Lentil Niçoise Salad
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski3/9Tomatoes + Chiles + Onion + Your Broiler = The Only Salsa You Need
Here’s another equation: Chips + Salsa = a snack no one will complain about. The key is to char the ingredients under the broiler for a roasty flavor, then blitz it all in batches for a texture that’s right in between smooth and chunky.
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The Only Salsa You Need
4/9Garlic + Parmesan + All of the Basil = Perfect Pesto Pasta
On days so nice we can’t be bothered to think about dinner, our nights end with pesto pasta. When you mean to hit up the fish guy but take a nap instead, pesto is there. When you trade a market run for a belly flop in the pool, pesto. Our recipe is as simple as can be—no blanching here!—and when you sit down to a bowl, it’ll feel so right you’ll think you planned it this way all along.
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BA's Best Pesto
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski5/9Creamy + Tangy + Salty = All Day Every Day Sauce
Whatever you’re cooking right now, it could probably benefit from yogurt sauce. Grilled lamb chops? Swoosh it. Basic boiled potatoes? Dollop some on top and suddenly it looks all restaurant-y. This rich, tangy three-ingredient condiment makes even the simplest dishes feel fancy.
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All Day Every Day Sauce
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski6/9Big Flavors + a Microplane = Universal Marinade
When you’re not in the mood to do much work, you need a marinade that does the work for you. This Vietnamese-inspired iteration, packed with fish sauce, brown sugar, and chiles, hits all the notes, and because it’s more paste than liquid, it clings to meat or seafood for major impact in a short amount of time.
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Universal Marinade
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski7/9Crunchy Veg + a Nice Massage = Salt-and-Squeeze Slaw
No shade to your standard church picnic slaw, but these days we’re more into this understated variety, with just crunchy vegetables (one kind is plenty, though you can combine a few), salt, a good squeeze to soften the veg, and a splash of seasoned rice vinegar for brightness. Serve it with your Smash Burger Alfresco (below) and save the mayo-based stuff for another day.
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Napa Cabbage and Cucumber Slaw
Radish and White Onion Slaw
Red Cabbage and Onion Slaw
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski8/9Superthin Patties + Searing-Hot Griddle = Smash Burger Alfresco
Like most everyone else, we can’t seem to get enough of the smash burger, with a lacy griddled patty (or two, actually, to maximize that crispy exterior). But, like drinking an Aperol spritz, cooking it is best done outside. Our grilled version won’t smoke out your kitchen, blanket your stove with grease, or ask you to spend even one more minute of this sweet summer night indoors.
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Smash Burger Alfresco
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski9/9Fruit + Cream + Not Much Else = Mix-and-Match Fools
There are few joys greater than eating ripe berries straight from the carton. But here’s one: tossing them with sugar so they’re juicier and sweeter, then folding them into freshly whipped cream. Dish out individual servings in your favorite cocktail glasses for a lazy dessert that punches above its weight class.
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Strawberry-Raspberry Fools
Blueberry-Blackberry Fools
