Soft-Shell Crab BLT Sandwiches by Rick Rodgers
Bon Appetit’s “Outstanding Cooking Teacher” shares a summer favorite.
There have been studies that prove the crunchy sound of eating crisp food stimulates the appetite. Surely, along with the fresh, briny flavor, this is the attraction of the soft-shell crab, one of the true glories of summer eating. The best way to enjoy the crabs is to play up their crackly edible shell with a batter coating. And paired with ripe tomatoes, thick slices of crisp bacon, and an herby mayonnaise, this might just become the only sandwich you eat this summer.
Click here for the recipe.
Grilled Corn by Christopher Idone
The catering pioneer throws something besides burgers on the Barbie.
Nothing says summer quite like a ripe ear of corn. There’s a special pleasure in peeling back the rough green husk and brushing away the silk to reveal gleaming yellow and white kernels, and then breaking those kernels with a thumbnail to check for the pop and juice that signal a perfectly ripe ear. You can cook corn by boiling and by microwave, but of all the easy ways to cook corn, the most delicious is to just throw those babies on the grill. This recipe calls for brushing the ears with a melted butter, cilantro, and hot red-chile mixture. Grilled corn, meet mouth; mouth, meet grilled corn.
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Fennel, Carrot, and Apple Slaw by Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh
“The Hearty Boys” put a fresh twist on a classic summer side.
Most everyone has a traditional, favorite, go-to slaw recipe. It usually contains cabbage and mayo, and that’s great—classic slaw definitely has its place. But sometimes you want something lighter than mayonnaise, something crunchy besides cabbage, something more flavorful than a dusting of salt and pepper. And that’s where this slaw comes in. Incredibly fresh, slightly sweet, crunchy with apples and made a little out-of-the-ordinary with fennel, this slaw not only offers reprieve from the dreariness of cabbage and mayo, but raises the slaw bar to new heights—and is also a great complement to grilled meats.
Click here for the recipe.
Oven-Baked Fries by Sheila Lukins
An alternative to frying from a James Beard Award-winning cook.
Every culture has their take on the ubiquitous tuber: The Irish boil them, the Poles stuff them into pierogis, Italians make gnocchi, Mexicans sauté them with peppers, the Spanish turn them into tortilla, and the Americans…well, we steal from the French. Because really, what’s a better use of a potato than to turn it into French fries? Unfortunately, there’s no technique messier and more of a hassle than deep-frying without an industrial deep fryer. If you’re lucky enough to own a deep fryer of your own, by all means fry away. And for the rest of us, well, we’ll be making our own golden, crisp, crunchy, addictive and totally hassle-free fries in the oven.
Click here for the recipe.
Strawberry Shortcakes by Nigella Lawson
The celebrity chef shares her tried and true recipe.
So many decisions to be made when baking a strawberry shortcake, Nigella makes them for you.
This classic American dessert consists of a tender, buttery biscuit, split and crammed with rich cream and ripe strawberries. And as with all traditional recipes, there’s quite a bit of dispute over the right method to make them, serve them, and eat them: Should they be individual-sized or one huge fat disc? Should butter be spread on the tender cut sides while still warm? Or should the fruit be piled on the biscuit immediately after baking so that the scone absorbs as much sweet strawberry juice as possible? Decisions, decisions….
Click here for the recipe.
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