Summer

The pasta cooking liquid helps turn the cheese, cream, and sautéed vegetables into an incredible sauce.

Use your favorite nuts, candies, or cookies to coat the bananas.

Bell peppers and cumin add sweetness and spice to this tangy tomato soup, but it's the pimentón that really pulls all the flavors together.

Just two additions—citrus zest in the dressing and toasted pine nuts—transform this simple salad into something memorable.

In Korea, dessert often means a simple piece of fruit. This ice cream, though more complex, rings so clearly of mandarin oranges that we think an exception may be made. Sesame seeds, valued in Korean cooking for their medicinal properties, thread their way through the frozen custard as nuggets of honey-sweetened brittle. When making a large amount of ice cream, as this recipe does, it's imperative to churn the mixture in two batches, so ice crystals don’t form.

Juicy pineapple meets creamy avocado, crisp jicama, and red onion in a refreshing salad that goes especially well with the cilantro-chipotle tilapia .

_Editor's note: This recipe is from chef Wolfgang Puck. This recipe originally accompanied Black and Green Olive Tapenade._ For the best and tastiest result, these should be prepared when the tomatoes are in their prime. The recipe can be doubled or tripled if desired.

This nontraditional spin-off of an old-fashioned favorite makes a fun dinner-party appetizer plate or main course for more intimate gatherings.

A bacon Swiss burger embellished with ripe tomato and avocado: delectable! In this burger, I've spiced up the meat with thyme and Worcestershire sauce, which hint at the Mediterranean and at the steak house. In this case, a soft white bun is the best choice—any other type of bun and the burger might become too huge to eat. But of course, that's what helps to make it delectable. Serve your favorite condiments alongside.

This recipe originally accompanied Mushroom and Thyme Risotto Cakes with Roasted Tomato and Arugula Salad . If you're not keeping kosher or serving this salad with meat, you could top it with crumbled blue cheese.

This recipe originally accompanied Jalapeño Popper Fritters with Tomato Salsa .

With all the amazing fresh produce available at this time of year, we always find ourselves facing the same dilemma: Which delicious, sun-warmed vegetable shall we choose tonight? But when food editor Ian Knauer threw the whole farm stand into a cornmeal crust, it took us only one bite to realize that he had solved the problem once and for all.

This recipe is perfect for a family reunion or any large summer gathering. If your party is being held at a park, be sure to bring charcoal, a chimney starter, oil for the grill grate, and a sturdy grill brush. These chicken breasts cook quickly, but let the coals burn down to medium-hot to cut down on pesky flare-ups.

This recipe comes from Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City. Though sangria is typically made in larger batches, Freeman demonstrates that it can also be concocted right in the glass for a single serving. When it comes to ingredients, he eschews the fancy add-ons found in many recipes, instead sticking to a simple formula of Spanish wine (ideally a young Rioja), Spanish brandy, and lemon juice. If you prefer, sugar can be added to taste, and different light red wines, citrus juices, and brandies substituted.

Try to buy ripe tomatoes or let them ripen in a paper bag with an apple for two days.

Serve grilled bread alongside the tuna. Be sure to buy domestic albacore to keep the mercury to a minimum.

Tomatoes at the peak of flavor need only fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few minutes on a hot grill.

No need to heat up the oven. Not only is grilling faster than baking, but it also adds a nice smoky flavor to the pizza.

Six ingredients yield big dividends. Be sure to use a good-quality fruity olive oil.