As far as culinary staples go, fruit salad is an elder—it has been around for generations and it isn’t going anywhere. A fruit salad will always be easy, but a good fruit salad involves more than just a chop and a toss. At their best, fruit salads deliver an unexpected combination of color and contrast, … Read more
This simple tomato and cherry quinoa recipe—a seriously good celebration of high summer—deserves the very best tomatoes you can find. A mix of size, color and flavor works really well, but if you have a bowlful of one excellent variety such as Gardeners’ Delight or Honeycomb, don’t hesitate. The quick-pickled shallots are a wonderful thing: … Read more
When asked my favorite way to serve slicer tomatoes, I always reply, “with brown butter, black pepper, and salt.” There is something about the nuttiness of brown butter that takes peak-season tomatoes to a whole new level. Our favorite tomatoes to serve this way are classified as brown tomatoes, which tend to have a meatier, … Read more
This ginger-scallion sauce uses jarred pickled ginger (gari) in place of fresh for a brighter spin on the good-on-everything staple. Usually served in a twisted heap alongside a platter of sushi, gari is meant to cleanse the palate between bites of fish and rice. It’s that same refreshing quality that works so well in this … Read more
Picking a perfectly ripe summer melon is like folding a fitted sheet—forever a struggle. Here’s a salad that can save even the most mediocre specimen. A simple combination of sharp shallot and hot green chile generously dressed with lemon, olive oil, and salt will transform that subpar fruit into something juicy and joy-inducing. Salty crumbles … Read more
What constitutes a picnic salad, exactly? It’s a simple dish built to be packed up into a reusable container, toted to the park, and shared. A picnic salad is no worse for being eaten in direct sunlight—though it also excels straight from the fridge, making it an ideal make-ahead work lunch option. It’s zippy and … Read more
Author Melissa Broder’s late father, Bob, was an ardent fan of purple cabbage. Like an “eat a wedge of it with blue cheese dressing” sort of fan. Originally inspired by a recipe from The Frog Commissary Cookbook, this crunchy chicken and cabbage salad quickly became Bob’s calling card, as Melissa tells it. It was the … Read more
Beets and goat cheese are a classic combination, but this salad is anything but retro. Shaved fennel (use a mandoline if you have one and reserve the springy green fronds for garnish) and hearty farro make it feel like a full meal. The creamy dressing swoosh on the bottom—here’s where the goat cheese comes in—adds … Read more