Summer

Cooked summer squash can be mushy. Solution: Eat it raw. If you can’t find buckwheat groats, use chopped toasted almonds instead.

Making tomato water sounds fancy, but all you’re doing is collecting the juices that weep from chopped ripe tomatoes. It’s delicious with simple seafood, or add a splash to any vinaigrette.

“Cool and bright, this herb-laced corn salad is my new summer staple.” –Alfia Muzio, recipe developer

A super-juicy watermelon is key; it should feel heavy for its size and sound hollow when tapped.

How is this shortcake different from all others? Cake flour makes it extra-tender, for starters, then it’s baked in one big circle and bathed in tarragon-infused butter. You might never go back.

This sweet and salty nut-and-seed brittle will send granola packing. Serve for breakfast or as a simple dessert.

With stretchy mozzarella inside and a coating of crunchy breadcrumbs, these squash blossoms get the creamy-crispy ratio just right.

A power lunch for grown-ups and kids alike.

The key to this sauce is a creamy emulsion of the oil, cheese, and pasta water. Toss and stir—and stir and toss—adding liquid freely, until it comes together.

Make sure you keep your grill at a steady medium-level heat; if it’s too hot, the chicken will char without cooking through.

This tahini-enhanced recipe is what ranch dressing would taste like if it spent a few months traipsing through the Middle East (and poured itself on a bed of haricots verts).

This fish and corn cake recipe is a less expensive, equally delicious option for anyone who loves a crab cake. Could you put it on a bun? Why not?

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.

Use very ripe—even overripe—tomatoes; they’ll give up even more juice.

Fresh crunch, cooling vegetables, a hit of extra acidity, and dollop of sour cream: It’s all here in this summer slaw.

A fish taco dream come true: crispy, light-as-air fried fish, balanced by a creamy slaw and fiery, cooling, and crunchy fixings.

Never met a corn fritter recipe we didn’t like, and we love this one.

Don’t peel the peaches; simply rub off the fuzz with a damp paper towel.

For stress-free, no-sweat hosting, grill the lamb a few hours ahead of time and slice it at room temperature.

Sugared, roasted lemons are edible from rind to flesh and give this salsa-like mix a bracing jolt of sourness.

Eggplant is like a sponge. Salting it draws out moisture and firms up the flesh, and deep-frying ensures it cooks evenly until creamy throughout. Worth your time.

No ice cream maker? Use store-bought frozen yogurt, or serve this over lightly sweetened Greek yogurt.

Delicate squash blossoms are a farmers' market treasure. Look for flowers with perky, intact petals and a generous length of stem still attached.

The peppers will go from softened to mushy if they sit too long; you want to serve them with some bite left.