KEEPIN’ IT LIGHT ALL SUMMER LONG
From fashion, food and drinks to movies, books and music, the very best of summer awaits you inside,
There are two very different varieties of great summer cuisine. The first involves elegant dishes of grilled fish and salads that are light yet satisfying in the face of wilting summer heat. The second features an endless list of calorie-laden foodstuffs prepared over messy grills and campfires where melting cheese and chocolate dribbles down your face and hands as you attempt to eat.
Here are the most essential and delicious foods from each camp.
10. WATERMELON
It may be an obvious choice, but summer would be incomplete without the sweet, hydrating crunch of a sweaty slice of watermelon on a sweltering afternoon. The fruit is the unofficial culinary mascot of summer.
9. BURGERS (PREPARED BY A DAD, OR A DAD-LIKE FIGURE)
The best burgers are prepared by a dad-like figure sipping beer. Despite the father figure’s apparent enthusiasm for grilling, the patties are always a liitle dry. Nevertheless, a smattering of condiments that have spent the day ripening on an outdoor table in the sun, applied carefully to a burnt “but still good, champ” bun, somehow make it the best burger you’ll taste all year.
8. CELERY APPLE RIBBONS WITH CRUSHED PEANUTS AND AVOCADO CONFIT
Los Angeles chef Ludo Lefebvre’s celery dish from Trois Mec in Los Angeles tastes like an endless summer as a cloud of buttery avocado sits atop pappardelle-like celery, apple ribbons and a handful of roasted nuts. The restaurant may not deliver across North America, but the combination of nuts, avocado, celery and apples begs to be imitated in a summer salad at home.
7. S’MORES
Even if you never made s’mores as a child, a single bite of melting chocolate and campfire-charred marshmallows pressed between the steady weight of graham crackers will transport any eater to the idyllic childhood summer that none of us ever had. This is the magic of s’mores.
6. SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM FROM A TRUCK
We may live in the golden age of gourmet ice cream, but when it comes to soft serve, the best varieties still come from a truck. A visit to your local Mr. Softee vehicle also allows you to discover who your true friends are, as anyone who pretends to prefer gourmet over truck soft serve is certainly a liar.
5. PICKLE SOUP
You may not have a Polish grandmother who enjoys serving tangy bowls of pickle soup topped with dollops of chilled sour cream on August afternoons, but you should find one. The soup’s light acidity is a welcome pick me up, while the electrolytes from the pickles help with the task of staying hydrated on sweltering summer days.
4. MEXICAN STREET CORN
I’ve got good news and bad news for you. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. From a scientific standpoint there is no way to eat a humbling cob of Mexican street corn without getting sauce and half-bitten kernels all over you. The good news is that the perfectly charred cobs slathered in crema – a thinner salted version of sour cream – and finished with crumbly cotija cheese and fresh lime juice are always worth it.
3. NEW ENGLAND CRAB BOIL
The smell of smoked sausages and crab steaming in an emulsion of white wine and butter is enough to tempt even the strictest vegan. Once the vegans are converted, a cinematic New England crab boil should be enjoyed outside on a table covered in newsprint. Hold the cutlery and plates, and be sure to bring extra napkins.
2. GRILLED HALLOUMI (AND JUST MORE GRILLED CHEESES IN GENERAL)
The only thing better than grilled cheese in the traditional sandwich sense is cheese that is grilled without bread. The firm, nutty texture of halloumi stands up well to the grates of a grill, allowing the insides of the cheese to melt into buttery fondue as the outside edges transform into perfect golden brown crisps.
1. UNAGI
In Japan, eel is most popular during the summer as it’s believed to prevent heatstroke and fatigue. The idea is largely the residual effect of a marketing campaign from the Edo Period, but the Japanese may still be onto something: unagi is rich in Vitamin A, B1, D, E, calcium and protein, making it a light and satisfying nutrient powerhouse that can boost energy supplies at any time of year.