Summer Eats: Feel the Heat in the Kitchen with These Recipes
Take a trip (to your kitchen).
Sure, in summers past we’ve given you some clever ways to beat kitchen heat, but now we’re going to make a case to take advantage of the longer (and hopefully slightly lazier) days to tackle an edible project. A great grown-up lesson we’ve learned is that most cooking endeavors are achievable given some time and patience (emphasis on patience!). So we’ve rounded up some kitchen hills to climb—from slight incline to solid Everest level—we’re looking forward to tackling this summer.
In a pickle.
You’ve likely seen recipes for “quick pickles,” and few things will give your dishes more of a punch than some briny goodness. The beauty of quick pickles? They don’t need to go through a canning process and are usually ready in a matter of hours. Some of our favorites to try: these Quick Pickled Balsamic Strawberries, Quick Pickled Asparagus with Tarragon and Shallot and these Quick Pickled Watermelon Rinds.
Boss up your booze.
Sure, the geniuses of liquor producers know how to churn out every flavor of vodka known to man, but we say follow the lead of the best restaurants who are now distinguishing themselves with homemade infusions (and yes, cocktail programs are now a thing). We imagine the delightful things that could be made with our very own Peanut Butter Infused Bourbon or Spicy Chili Infused Tequila. Another trend to incorporate? Bottled cocktails, which could lighten host duties or make for a cheers-worthy gift.
It’s your jam.
In the before times, we’d regularly can with friends and save up our bounty to give to others come holiday time. While we loved doing it, it is certainly a project best tackled with others and preferably with a big kitchen at your disposal—and requires a decent amount of specialized equipment to store. Now in our downsized kitchen, we still love the idea of preserving ripe fruits, but with refrigerator or freezer jams (this is a good overview). Another benefit for an empty nest is that these tend to be made in small batches. We’ll be hitting the farmstand hard this summer to try this OG strawberry jam and preserve our peaches with this recipe.
You gotta make ricotta.
One of the best appetizers we’ve had is homemade ricotta, drizzled with a little olive oil and served with grilled pieces of bread. Sure we know we could grab it off the supermarket shelf, but trust us when we tell you it’s not the same. We even fashion our own ricotta for recipes now and we will not be going back. The good news? It could not be easier to make (but will seem like you toiled all day like an old fashioned nonna). We’re partial to queen Ina Garten’s recipe and recommend investing in cheesecloth (though a linen dish towel will do in a pinch).
