Summer

Even before cucumbers are in season, one of the first things I think of making with them is gazpacho. So when they do come in season—and right now my garden is producing some of the best cucumbers—it's only natural that I make one of my favorite cold raw soups. Gazpacho is very popular this summer and it seems to be on many restaurant menus in New York. So why not make your own?



An Andalusian specialty, gazpacho was originally made with only stale bread, garlic, oil, and vinegar. Nowadays the most well known gazpacho is with tomatoes, but white gazpacho instead has cucumbers, white grapes, and almonds. It may sound unusual to have a soup with bread and almonds, but actually they are often used as thickeners in the soups and sauces of many Mediterranean cuisines. Marcona almonds are a specialty of Spain, and I love using them in this traditional way.



In this soup, cucumbers lend a refreshing note and the grapes, a slight sweetness. In Spain this soup would traditionally be made in a mortar, which is a great way to finely grind the almonds. But I take all the ingredeints and purée them in a blender. Whichever method you use, make sure to get the soup very smooth. Serve up the finished gazpacho in bowls or glasses as an appetizer—it's sure to whet everyone's appetite at your next outdoor party.


This is a dish that is perfect for all of the endless “end-of-school-year” pot luck dinners or for BBQs all summer long: Oven Roasted Potato and Green Bean Salad with Skinny Basil “Pesto.”

Real pesto–which is made with basil and garlic but also loads of oil, nuts and cheese–is delicious…but also very calorie dense. (The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe costs you 430 calories for a 1/2 cup serving.)

But by using more herbs, calorie free lemon juice and Dijon mustard, less cheese and oil and skipping the nuts altogether…this skinny “pesto-ish” dressing has just 120 calories but still packs a flavorful punch and a toothsome texture. And by using an equal amount of green beans (40 calories a cup) as potatoes (140 calories a cup), you can have the sensation of a pesto potato salad with less than half of the calories!

When I saw that 20-foot-long table covered with plump, brilliant red cherries and velvety soft golden apricots I audibly gasped (hey, I wasn't the only one). Then I turned to Jeff and said something like, "I'm making an apricot and cherry pie when we get home! Or should I make a crumble? Ooh-ooh, I know, how about a cobbler?" See what I mean? Waaay too excited.

We decided on a cobbler. I wasn't sure what I wanted to use for the cobbler top, but I didn't have to search too long. My mom and dad had recently sent me Nick Malgieri's How to Bake. When my mom realized I didn't have his book, she was shocked:

"What?! How could you not have Nick Malgieri's book? I love his book! Well, that's it. Your father and I are going to Border's this weekend to get you one," she said.

Cherries with their crunch, deep red color, and juicy flesh always bring me so much pleasure. It's easy for me to eat bowlfuls in one sitting. My favorite part of summer has always been waiting for the stone fruits to ripen, picking up cherries and sour cherries at the Greenmarket, and visiting local farms to pick peaches and plums right from the trees. Summer just wouldn't be summer without enjoying all its fruitful bounties.

A classic French clafoutis (kla-foo-tee) is one of the best desserts that uses cherries. It is traditionally made with dark sweet cherries or black cherries, but when made with other fruit it is more commonly called a flognarde. Last season I made a plum flognarde using the dark, oblong Italian prune plums. Served just slightly warm, a clafoutis or a flognarde is an ideal dessert in summer. Garnish with a dusting of confectioners' sugar and—if you're so decadently inclined—a dollop of whipped cream or crème fraîche. It looks like an impressive dessert but it's very easy to make.