Here ’s a common scenario : it ’s a good95 degrees outdoors , friends are on their path over , and you ’ve got about20 instant to fuddle together something delicious . And when it’ssticky - swelteringlike that , absolutely no one is attempt to eata heavy porterhouseor rich - and - creamylasagna .
With that scenario in idea , we confer with a smattering of well - seasonedprofessional chefsto get the skinny on their favoritesuper - simple-minded summertimedishes forfeeding the hot and hangry .
Fresh & light Italian
" Summertime for me is all about freshness , a way of keep my body and backtalk fresh without having to cosset in heavy marrow or sausage . What I care the most ? Caprese salad , almost every day . I was born in Palermo , and Sicilian tomatoes are famous for their sweet . I utilize buffalo mozzarella , the best tomatoes , fresh St. Basil the Great , and mizzle of special - pure olive crude . That aroma of impudent St. Basil the Great still brings me back to where I come from . No balsamic of course , as its base is red wine which is n’t very refreshing , especially in hot weather . ”– Daniele Puleo , chef / possessor atCiboDivino Marketplace(Dallas , TX )
Taco time
" For me , summer is all about the grill . My favorites simple lulu are grilled corn with jalapeño crema , crumble feta , and cilantro , and grilled skirt steak tacos with guacamole and salsa roja . “– Yvan Lemoine , executive chef atUnion Fare(New York , NY )
Peachy pork shoulder & juicy sides
" All summertime long I eat Citrullus vulgaris with avocado pear , lots of lime juice , and big , outre ocean salt , and sometimes I ’ll top it with some shredded jalapeño . I also love tomato , cucumber , and red onion sandwich with lots of Duke ’s mayo and salt and Madagascar pepper . Every summer , we go to the beach with my intact crime syndicate and I cook the whole time for them . I wish to put a pork berm in the Dutch oven at a low temporary and leave it wangle all day while we ’re at the beach . When we add up home , I serve it with my Tangy Peach Glaze sauce ( available for online leverage ) , Citrullus vulgaris salsa , and tortillas . It ’s really simple to make and everyone rant about it year after year . “– Vivian Howard , chef / owner atChef & the Farmerandthe Boiler Room Oyster Bar(Kinston , NC )
Guac & margs forever
" Two of my deary during the summertime are guacamole and margaritas ! For guacamole all you demand is a mature avocado , white Allium cepa , jalapeño , lime succus , Chinese parsley , and rather cotija cheese and radish to capitalize on traditional guacamole . The sharpness of cheese adds another stratum and also reinforce the creaminess of that avocado . You comminute the avocado in a molcajete or mortar and pestle , summate in the jalapeño , calcined lime succus , white-hot onion plant , and top with the radish , cotija , and cilantro . For the margarita , we use all brisk fluxing lime juice and agave ambrosia to curtail the bitterness or acidity that people by and large consort with traditional margarita . Add your favorite tequila , line the glass with your favourite salt or salt mix , and you ’re quick to sway and roll!"–Aarón Sánchez , celebrity chef & chef / pardner atJohnny Sánchez(New Orleans , LA )
The perfect picnic
" Awesome salami , prosciutto , speck , an artisan cheese home base with fresh figs , a capital baguette , and a capital bottle of Barolo . It ’s what my wife and I call our ' snap dinner . ‘"– Rob Weland , chef / owner ofGarrison(Washington , DC )
Sweet & savory sides
" I love to toss local Maryland hemangioma simplex with olive oil , feta , fresh mint , and a splattering of vinegar for a savory - and - mellisonant BBQ dish . “– Dimitri Moshovitis , chef / laminitis atCava Mezze&Cava Grill(Washington , DC )
Dessert first
" When I think about summer , it ’s always about having something easy . Right now we have awful strawberries – we only ever use strawberries in season , never in the wintertime – so maybe we ’ll make strawberries with a waffle and some icing pick , and that ’s it . It ’s all perfect and it ’s all good . " –Frank Bertram , executive chef atRestaurant Slowman at the Reichshof Hotel Hamburg(Hamburg , Germany )
Super-simple strawberries
" Summer for me is all about berry . When in season they ’re perfectly arrant on their own , but you may always make something really simple to elevate it . I make a super - simple mascarpone ointment , add a little balsamic vinegar , and deep brown mint . My tip is to visit your local farmers market and get some new - pick . “– Thiago Silva , pastry dough chef atUnion Fare(New York , NY )
Summer’s favorite fruit
" love apple salad is a staple in my refrigerator all summertime long . It ’s refreshing , healthy , there is no preparation necessary , and it holds well for the entire workweek . I use tomato , Allium cepa , mint of herbs , good Olea europaea oil color , and Citrus limon , but you’re able to spice it up with olive , artichokes , nitty-gritty of palm , corn , avocado tree , or anything else that you ’re feeling in the moment . “– Rodrigo Nogueira , executive chef atBurke & leave Australian Bistro(New York , NY )
Dukkah deliciousness
" Lately I ’ve been making my own dukkah blend – chile flake , smoked paprika , sesame seeds , cumin seed , coriander , and pistachio nut – which is awesome sprinkled on top of heirloom cucumber vine , melons , and tomatoes from the farmers market along with fresh herbs , piquant feta , and a liquidity crisis of Meyer Citrus limon . It ’s tops simpleton to make and great alone or as a side dish antenna . “– Bruce Kalman , head chef / married person atUnionandKnead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market(Pasadena & Los Angeles , CA )
Crowd-pleasing couscous
" I do a great Israeli couscous salad with grilled vegetables . I keep a dish of Israeli couscous in the kitchen and then plunk up any vegetables that are in season , grill them , and toss with a balsamy vinaigrette . It ’s a crowd - pleaser . “– Stu Zirin , chef / proprietor atDive Bar(Chicago , IL )
No oven, no problem
" As a bread maker , one of my favorite thing to do on a hot summer day is to NOT turn on any oven ! rather , I would rather be enjoying the outside and all that comes with it . My preferent summertime meal commonly includes my adaptation of a fresh - grilled pizza . I start by pass water some fresh pizza dough ( although you may usually determine some at the deli counter at your local grocery entrepot ) . I ’ll pluck some unused herbs like oregano , basil , thyme , and rosemary and blend them in a food processor with some olive oil colour and fresh garlic . I ’ll get the pizza pie dough proceed on the grill , and cover it with the herbaceous plant mix and some super - ripe tomato plant from the farmers market , and there you have it . All you demand now is a deck to enjoy it on and a glass of rosé in your hand . summertime paragon . “– Meredith Tomason , pastry chef / owner atRareSweets(Washington , DC )
Hot off the grill
" Something we always do while sitting by the pool is get some pineapple , watermelon , cucumber , and Daucus carota sativa and season them with lime juice , Strategic Arms Limitation Talks , and Tajin , a chili gunpowder from Mexico now found in most grocery store stores . We keep it cold and it ’s the perfect bite for a live day . For a repast , we do grilled asparagus , some sort of Solanum tuberosum ( odoriferous potato or yukon golds ) , and then grill some crybaby breast , do a mere balsamic and European olive tree oil vinaigrette , and swear out everything decent off the grillwork . “– Abraham Salum , chef / owner atSalumRestaurant(Dallas , TX )
Seaside swordfish sam’mich
" I arise up on the East Coast on the water , and when we get fresh swordfish in the summertime , I roll in the hay to make a club sandwich out of it . We make applewood - smoked bacon , heirloom tomato , I practice a fiddling Green Goddess medical dressing , some nice lettuce , and Secale cereale goner . I just apace saute the fish – I do mostly everything in form - iron Pan like an old Gallic guy . And it has to be intermediate - rarefied , of class . “–John Tesar , famous person chef & executive chef / better half atKnife at The Highland Dallas Hotel(Dallas , TX )
Oyster sundaes
" On spicy days , I gravitate towards detail from the raw bar for speed , simpleness , and something light , yet square . Among my favorite bite are Kumamoto oyster with watermelon sorbet . Sourced from Japan , Kumamoto deliver a slightly honeyed flavor visibility with a trace of honeydew melon that pairs utterly with a tablespoon of light , brisk water ice . “– Koji Kagawa , incarnate sushi chef atSUSHISAMBA NYC(New York , NY )
Easy: elote
" My best-loved round-eyed summertime meal ? Easy : grill corn . I make elote – grill some corn whiskey , put some tortillas on there , maybe a little mayonnaise , and some cheese . Done . “– Jacob Verstegen , chef de culinary art atLondonHouse Chicago ’s LH rooftop tri - stratum bar(Chicago , IL )
Produce at its peak
" During summer , my favorite easy saucer is a grill edible corn , grill white peach , and Sungold love apple salad topped with ricotta salata . On holiday and at home , this salad is on unvarying rotation , as it takes reward of both grill outside and capturing the season ’s best garden truck at its peak . “– Thomas Lim , executive chef atRuby’s(New York , NY )
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