Reasons, both culinary and otherwise, why summer is my favorite season:

1 – long lazy days

2 – radishes with salt and butter

3 – tomatoes still warm from the garden with olive oil and salt

4 – late-evening grilling while it’s still light

5 – al fresco dining, no need for a sweater

6 – jubilee beetles! (aka fireflies/lightening bugs)

7 – scree beetles (cicadas)

8 – falling asleep to the sound of crickets

9 – rose on the patio

10 – vino verde

11 – sangria

12 – drunken fruit at the bottom of the sangria glass

13 – peaches

14 – cherries

15 – blueberries in lime sugar

16 – fruit tartes

17 – picking blackberries on the huckleberry trail

18 – all-day grilling: pork shoulder, ribs, brisket

19 – eating ice cream before it melts

20 – bacon, lettuce, tomato

21 – suntans

22 – the smell of suntan lotion

23 – flip-flops

24 – seafood on the east coast shore

25 – traveling to sweltering destinations

26 – sweet tea

27 – lemonade

28 – nightcaps on the patio

29 – espresso after dinner

30 – digestif after espresso

31 – pastis

32 – watermelon with halloumi

33 – farmer’s market cantaloupe and honeydew

34 – corn on the cob

35 – succotash

36 – vidalia onions

37 – mojitos

38 – after dinner twilight walks

39 – gaspacho

40 – cucumbers in dill yogurt dressing

41 – kachumber salade

42 – lavender

43 – bumblebees

44 – salade nicoise

45 – haricots verts

46 – sand pedicures

47 – grilled pizza

48 – margaritas

49 – near-daily garden harvest

50 – humidity that wraps around you like a blanket when you step outside

It’s cherry season! This recipe for one of my favorite cherry desserts is from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook. It also makes a delicious breakfast or brunch the next day.

Pit 1.5 lbs of cherries and let macerate for 1 hour in 3 ounces kirsch.

Preheat oven to 450F.

Grease a 9-in baking dish with 1 Tbsp butter. Coat with a pinch of sugar. Refrigerate until ready for use.

Beat 6 eggs with a whisk in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 ounces sugar and mix well to incorporate.

Stir in 4 ounces of flour and 1 tsp vanilla extract until the batter is homogenous, but do not overwork the flour.

Fold in the cherries and their juices using a rubber spatula.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a golden crust has formed on top. A skewer inserted into the center should come out clean, not wet.

Serve with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and vanilla ice cream.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: A Rose with red fruit aromas; a young, fruity red wine, like Beaujolais, or an off-dry or dessert-style sparkling wine, such as Prosecco. Cheers!

Peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits, and we bought South Carolina peaches today at Oasis, our local global market. The spinach and arugula were picked from our garden.

Start with grilled pizza dough, and a charcoal fire on one side of the grill only (for indirect heat), cook dough over the coals until bottom is lightly browned and crisp, rotating as necessary for even browning. The dough will form bubbles as the yeast produce carbon dioxide. Flip dough over (the cooked side is now the top of the pizza), flatten the air bubbles, move off the coals, and coat dough with olive oil. Add crumbled chevre.

Move the dough back over the coals and rotate to cook the bottom evenly. Once the bottom is browned, move dough over to indirect heat and add spinach, arugula, and 1-2 chopped peaches that have been tossed with extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper.

Close the grill and let greens wilt and peaches warm through, 2-5 minutes. If you’re feeling inspired, grill the peaches while the dough is cooking before adding them to the greens mixture.

Serve with balsalmic vinegar and fruity hot sauces as condiments.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: Viognier, with its varietal descriptors of peach and apricot, and its floral aromas, would be perfect with the peaches in this recipe. Virginia wineries are producing some fabulous Viogniers. Rose or Albarino would also pair well with this pizza. Cheers!

This recipe for grilled dough is adapted from Williams-Sonoma Grilling Cookbook. Makes enough dough for 2 pizzas.

Mix in a food processor, stand mixer, or by hand:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

2.5 tsp yeast (dry active or quick-rise)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 scant Tbsp salt

2 tsp chopped fresh or dried herbs (oregano and thyme are nice)

Slowly add 1.25 cups warm water and 2 Tbsp olive oil. As dough pulls together, knead by hand until smooth and elastic.

Place dough in bowl, coat with olive oil, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. about 1-2 hours.

Punch down and divide in half. Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 3 hours, or freeze for later use.

Bon appétit!