Summer

Simple, tender buttermilk cake with a sugary crunch: We like it full of raspberries, but you could substitute any berry you pick up at the farmers market.

This salad is delicious served immediately at room temperature. It's even better after being chilled for an hour to combine the flavors.

The best thing about this icy, tart-and-sweet treat might be how little forethought it requires. You can use any flavored yogurt on hand.

My sister likes to call this drink an adult Slurpee®. And in some ways she is right. It's really almost like a whiskey sour that's been frozen and stirred so that it crystallizes like a granita. It may be the ultimate hot summer day libation. But be warned, once you fix this for your friends and neighbors, they'll expect it all through the summer heat. And you can either brew the tea and let it cool, or use bottled or canned.

Direct Heat The Italian classic panzanella gets a new spin when you grill the bread. This added dimension, I think, further brings out the summer sweetness of dead-ripe beefsteak tomatoes. The juxtaposition of the caramelized, toasted bread against the sweet-tart tomatoes makes for plenty of contrast in flavor and texture. You can also try this without grilling the tomatoes, if you prefer. Just don't make this salad too far in advance. You want the bread to have a little structure and crispness.

This chowder is easy to make and requires only one pot. The salmon comes out tender and is a good match with the dill and potatoes. For a smokier flavor, roast the ears of corn directly over the fire before removing the kernels. If you don't have fresh salmon, frozen will work fine, or you can use smoked salmon. If using smoked salmon, cut back on the salt for seasoning.

A crème fraîche custard is folded into the mixed-fruit filling of this elegant nectarine-blackberry crisp.

French pastry chefs dedicated this classic dessert to the Russian royal family. In this version, Grand Marnier-soaked berries are served with a tangy homemade ice cream (in place of the usual whipped cream). If you'd like, serve some sweet, crisp cookies alongside.

A sprinkling of pepitas (pumpkin seeds) adds color and crunch to this delicious side dish.

A meal this romantic calls for a sparkling cocktail. This pretty and delicious drink is a new take on the classic Kir Royale, a mixture of Champagne and black-currant liqueur. Here, Prosecco (the Italian bubbly) stands in for the Champagne, and peach nectar and liqueur are used instead of crème de cassis.

Street vendors throughout Mexico's beach towns sell cold fresh fruit served in a plastic bag with bits of ice in it to keep the fruit chilled. This dessert is as take on that, as well as a refreshing end to any meal. Feel free to experiment by pouring a bit of tequila over the ice to create an instant margarita.

I really love this soup. The flavors will remind you of corn chowder, but the texture is much lighter. The soup is bright and fresh and can be made year-round since it tastes just as good when using frozen corn as it does when using fresh.

This healthy main is cooked completely on the grill and is flavored by a simple, four-ingredient marinade—so there's very little cleanup required. Some grilled rustic bread would be nice alongside. And if you happen to have fig balsamic vinegar, use it in place of regular. It makes an excellent complement to the other flavors.

These tart pastries are best straight out of the oven, but if you have any left over (or if you make extra), they're nice for breakfast, too.

This shows how well green beans play with other vegetables.

Pat: When it comes to summertime in the South, fresh peaches rule. We put them in ice cream, pie, and cobbler. We pack them in mason jars and cover them with syrup. No getting around it: we have never met a peach-and-sugar dish that we didn’t like. When we were kids, Momma Daisy had several peach trees in her backyard. She’d give my brothers and me a big basket, and we would go out and pick them right off the tree. Next thing you knew, she was making cobbler—man, was that a treat. Needless to say, that was always a fun trip, and now we get to relive it by sharing her recipe with you.

This strawberry roll is elegant in appearance but less rich than a roll covered with whipped cream rather than the light meringue.

Two of summer's tastiest offerings help you spoon up more of the skin-saving antioxidant lycopene.