Street Hawker’s Kimchi Bacon Smash BurgerRichard Won/Supplied
Kick off summer with these meal ideas that are perfect for the warmer months and beyond.
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Nine satisfying wines for summer
A fresh summer menu that requires no heat to make
Sides
Fresh herb sauces
Herby Green SaucesJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
All fresh herby sauces are delicious on practically everything – grilled fish, veggies, meats, tofu, halloumi, flatbread – spooned over eggs and served with stews, used as a marinade, stirred into soft butter to make compound butter, or into yogurt and mayo for a quick dressing or dip. I’ve been known to eat mine by the spoonful, cold from the fridge, or spread it over buttered toast … on its own or topped with an egg or smashed avocado. My friend introduced me to the joy of a Goan-style coriander chutney (made with onion and coconut cream) sandwich on soft buttered white bread – perfect for picnicking. A fresh green sauce is one of the fastest, simplest things to make, and everything it touches turns delicious.
Esquites
EsquitesJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
When corn is in season, it’s perfect for making esquites – a skillet version of elotes, grilled Mexican street corn, dressed up with chilies, green onion, spices, mayo and lime. Intense direct heat chars and caramelizes the corn, and fire adds a delicious smokiness. It’s easy to turn into a more substantial meal with black beans or chickpeas and feta, and you can use any leftovers to fill an omelette or frittata, make tacos or quesadillas, or stir into your morning skillet hash or cornbread batter.
Crispy Crushed Potato Salad with Asparagus and Sauce Gribiche
Crispy Crushed Potato Salad with Asparagus and Sauce GribicheJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
Sauce gribiche is a classic French sauce made by emulsifying hard-boiled egg with oil, mustard, capers and cornichons … all perfect pairings with crunchy-edged potatoes and asparagus. Toss the veg with the sauce to dress it, or serve it spooned overtop. (Do this right before serving, to keep the potatoes crispy.) Boiled egg makes it gribiche, but it’s just as delicious – similar to tartar sauce – without.
Fire-roasted Eggplant and Onion Baba Ghanoush
Fire-roasted baba ghanoushJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
The amount of tahini, lemon juice and olive oil you use will depend on the quantity of slow-roasted eggplant and onion you begin with, and your personal taste – adjust for each to achieve the flavour and texture you want. If you want to make some naan to go with it, you can also cook it on the grill or in a cast iron skillet over an open fire.
Mains
Grilled radish tacos
Radish TacosJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
Grilled or seared radishes pair well with other taco fillings – try grilling some halloumi or a few shrimp alongside the radishes, or roughly mashing some black or kidney beans in a hot skillet with cumin, chili powder and salt.
Spring onion cakes
How We Eat - Spring Onion CakesJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
There are many ways to make a green-onion cake; the process of rolling the dough thin, then rolling it up, turning it into a coil and rolling it flat creates flaky layers, similar to a paratha. If you don’t want to cook all four cakes at once, you can freeze them, rolled flat and uncooked, between pieces of waxed paper or parchment, and cook them straight from frozen. (They can be frozen after cooking, too, but are best served crisp and warm, straight from the pan.)
Kimchi bacon smash burger and grilled paneer and watermelon
Kimchi Bacon Smash BurgerRichard Won/Supplied
Street Hawker’s umami-packed kimchi burger features a supporting cast of lightly fried onions, bacon and cheese. And for vegetarians, a fresh and herbaceous grilled paneer and watermelon sandwich with cilantro pesto offers a new twist on a classic sandwich.
Wilted Greens Tart
Wilted Greens TartJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
This stunning tart is perfect for the first greens of spring. The fragile phyllo – which is easier to work with than you might think – gives it a wonderfully rustic look. The tart can be served warm, at room temperature or cold, perfect for breakfast in bed or a larger gathering. The recipe only calls for six to eight sheets of phyllo but don’t worry, you aren’t on the hook to use the rest up immediately. It can be wrapped well and returned to the freezer.
Desserts
Frozen chocolate bananas (from The Bear)
Frozen chocolate bananasJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
Frozen chocolate-dipped bananas make an amazing summer treat, with more nutritional clout than a popsicle. You could just dip bananas in straight melted chocolate, but the chocolate-peanut butter-banana combo is delicious, and the peanut butter makes the chocolate slightly softer and less likely to crack off.
Berry upside-down cake
Berry Upside down CakeJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
This cake can be made with berries and then move on to plums and peaches as they come into season. The fruit caramelizes on the bottom or top (depending on which way you want to look at it), making for a flavourful, soft, moist cake.
Rhubarb galette
Rhubarb galetteJulie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
Rhubarb pie doesn’t have to be complicated. This free-form galette can be made with regular pie dough or frozen puff pastry. If you like, scatter crumbled cookies (shortbread or gingersnaps are delicious) on top after it’s baked for a crunchy contrast. You could wait for strawberries, but there’s no need. Rhubarb stands up on its own and pairs well with all the seasonal fruits that are right around the corner: berries, stone fruits such as peaches, plums, cherries, and in the fall, apples and pears. If you have an air fryer (really, a tiny convection oven) you can bake a pie for one or two using a piece of pastry and a reduced ratio of rhubarb-sugar-cornstarch.