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Summer Fruit Salad
When the summer fruit is this good, treat yourself to an indulgent yet healthy dish that hits all the right sweet, slightly savory, and tangy notes. Champagne vinegar is my preferred way to brighten up a mix of stone fruit, buttery avocado and mango, and blackberries. With its delicate, crisp flavor, it lends just the right amount of acidity. Torn basil leaves add an herbaceous quality. Then I finish it with beautiful sea salt flakes. All the flavors benefit from that little touch. After all, summer is better with a reminder of the sea. Ingredients 2 large nectarines2 apricots⅓ pound cherries¾ cup blackberries1 mango1 avocadoHandful fresh basil leavesExtra-virgin olive oilChampagne…
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Shrimp with Mango Cocktail Sauce
Shrimp cocktail makes a summery appetizer or party dish, and I love to add lobster or crab into the mix. Tie your choice of seafood together with a mango cocktail sauce that’s bright, lightly sweet, and as spicy as you prefer. Here I use both horseradish and serrano pepper for different types of heat, and both ingredients can be adjusted to your preference. What you won’t want to skip is the ripe mango puree that lends essential flavor. After juicing limes for the cocktail sauce, save the halves as they will be needed for poaching the shrimp. If you have lemons, oranges, or other citrus on hand, feel free to…
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Peach Upside-Down Cake
There is always a bit of magic in an upside-down cake, complete with a final reveal – the turned cake coming effortlessly out of the pan and showing its glossy, caramelized topping. For this cake, peaches or a combination of peaches and plums create a delicious top layer. Actually, that’s the bottom layer when you’re building this in your cake pan. All part of the magic. With the steps below, you’ll learn how to make that final flip reliable, so your fruit doesn’t stick, and make the cake even more delicious with some of my favorite batter additions. While stone fruit season is still here, try this recipe to hold…
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Berry Tiramisu
If you’ve taken one of my Summer Italian Kitchen cooking classes over the past few years, you may recall watching me make this berry tiramisu, or perhaps even prepared it along with me. Summery and just sweet enough, it’s not only a no-bake dessert, but truly no heat, as the syrup from macerated berries replaces the espresso into which the ladyfingers are traditionally dipped. Layers of soaked ladyfingers, berries, and the mascarpone whipped cream I enjoy on so many desserts make for a light, airy, and incredibly flavorful treat. Through my summer Italian recipes, I love celebrating the beautiful simplicity of Italian cooking with its emphasis on fresh, quality ingredients.…
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Skillet Cornbread Topped with Tomatoes and Rosemary
Skillet cornbread may be the best kind to serve, as it cooks up with a toasty bottom and tender middle. I love to top mine with garden tomatoes and chopped rosemary to hold onto every last bit of summer. Since corn is available through September, fold some into the batter for added texture and flavor using the recipe below. Recently I recommended this as the ultimate side to my summer Cobb salad, and with Labor Day weekend here, this is a crowd-pleasing addition to the menu. By the start of September, our vegetable gardens have become looser, more natural and sprawling, and our dishes follow suit. The actual amounts of…
