Author: Ed Hart

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Grilled Swordfish with Roasted Summer Vegetables and Herbed Quinoa

When your garden hands you a bounty of tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs—grill a swordfish.

There’s something deeply satisfying about a summer dinner that pulls straight from your garden or farmers market haul. This recipe does just that: thick, meaty swordfish steaks meet a medley of roasted tomatoes, zucchini, and okra, all tossed with herbs and piled over a simple lemony quinoa. It’s bright, savory, and easy enough for a weeknight but elegant enough for company.

This version features purple bumble bee and sungold tomatoes from my garden—both packed with sweet acidity and incredible color—but any cherry tomatoes will work beautifully. The candle fire okra (also from my garden) adds a striking visual touch and a light, crisp texture that even okra skeptics can get behind.

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Homemade Margherita Pizza with Fresh San Marzano Tomatoes

There’s something deeply satisfying about pulling a homemade pizza from a blistering hot oven, especially when it’s topped with ingredients from your own garden. This Margherita pizza is what summer cooking is all about—simple, rustic, and wildly flavorful. I used fresh San Marzano tomatoes, just picked, for the sauce. If you’ve never made your own pizza sauce with sun-ripened tomatoes, you’re in for a treat.

Of course, you don’t have to have a tomato garden to make this work. Canned San Marzanos are a fine (and frankly, excellent) option—just don’t skip the step where you crush them by hand or with a quick pulse in a food processor. More on that below.

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Halibut with Charred Corn & Tomato Salsa over Brown Rice Pilaf

Summer tomatoes don’t need much help to shine, but when you’ve got fresh halibut and a few ears of sweet corn lying around, it’s hard not to get inspired. This recipe is one of those perfect August dinners: light but satisfying, simple enough for a weeknight, and impressive enough to serve when someone brings wine over. The corn gets a little charred in a skillet (or on the grill if you’re already out there), and the heirloom tomatoes bring that juicy acidity that balances everything out. The brown rice pilaf? It’s upgraded with lime zest, scallions, and toasted pepitas for a subtle nutty crunch that plays well with the salsa and fish.

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Stonefruit and Burrata Salad with Spiced Almonds

I ran across this amazing stonefruit salad in the July 2025 issue of Food & Wine, which used plums for the salad, but I’ve made it now many times with plums, plumcots, and peaches and it’s amazing.

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A Refreshing Twist on the Classic Gin and Tonic

Featuring Elderflower Tonic and Rangpur Lime Gin

Few cocktails are as effortlessly elegant—or as endlessly customizable—as the Gin and Tonic. Its simple foundation of gin, tonic water, and a wedge of citrus belies its incredible versatility. But every once in a while, the right combination of ingredients elevates the ordinary into the extraordinary.

That’s exactly what happens when you bring together Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic and Tanqueray Rangpur Lime Gin. The elderflower adds a delicate floral sweetness, while the Rangpur lime lends a zesty citrus backbone that’s brighter than your standard London Dry. The result? A gin and tonic that feels like late spring in a glass.

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The Mojito: A Classic Cuban Cocktail with a Citrus Twist

There’s something undeniably refreshing about a Mojito—the combination of bright mint, zesty lime, and effervescent bubbles makes it feel like sunshine in a glass. And when you swap in a citrusy rum like Bacardi Limón, it adds an extra layer of flavor that makes the drink pop even more. Whether you’re lounging on the patio or hosting friends for a summer evening, this riff on the classic Mojito might just become your go-to warm weather drink.

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A French 75: Bubbles With Backbone

There are drinks you sip, and drinks that make an entrance. The French 75 falls squarely into the latter category—bracingly fresh, elegantly bubbly, and just strong enough to let you know it means business. It’s the kind of cocktail that wears a dinner jacket at brunch and somehow makes it look effortless.

In summer, I like to serve it as a late morning apéritif or a pre-dinner sparkler. It’s sharp enough to wake up your palate and celebratory enough to feel like you’re toasting to something—even if that something is just a Tuesday afternoon with time to spare.

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Heirloom Tomato Eggs Benedict with Blender Hollandaise

There are few things that taste more like summer to me than a thick slice of a sun-warmed heirloom tomato—especially when it’s nestled beneath a perfectly poached egg and draped in silky hollandaise sauce. This Heirloom Tomato Eggs Benedict is my go-to breakfast when tomatoes are at their peak. I’m using Cherokee Purple tomatoes here, but Pineapple or any ripe heirloom variety will shine. And because mornings are for ease, I blitz up the hollandaise in my VitaMix for a foolproof, velvety finish. Whether it’s a slow Saturday or a brunch worth celebrating, this one hits every note.

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Garganelli with Asparagus and Proschiutto

If rigatoni and tagliatelle had an elegant cousin from Emilia-Romagna, it would be garganelli. This hand-rolled, ridged pasta is perfect for capturing creamy sauces, and tonight it’s paired with tender asparagus, crispy pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, and a lemon-kissed cream sauce. It’s rich, savory, and just bright enough to feel like spring in a bowl—even if you’re eating it solo at the kitchen counter with a glass of something cold.

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Alabama Niçoise Salad

This isn’t your Parisian grandmother’s Niçoise—but she might just ask for seconds. Born from a love of French tradition and an overachieving Alabama garden, this version swaps tuna for perfectly sous vide chicken, trades haricots verts for crisp asparagus, and lets local produce do the heavy lifting. It’s composed, confident, and just a little rebellious—the kind of salad that wears seersucker to a wine tasting and somehow pulls it off. Beneath the wit, though, is a serious respect for balance, texture, and bright, briny flavor. Vive le South!

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