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.
Author: Ed Hart
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.
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.
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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Double Chocolate Whipped Cream
This makes an delicious and elegant dessert that’s both light and incredibly rich at the same time. We serve this in martini glasses which make for a stunning presentation, especially when serving guests. This recipe came from the March 2025 issue of Food & Wine and we’ve made it a few times now!
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Mango Mint Ice Cream
I’m still on my experimental ice cream kick and was in the mood to try something new this weekend. Rummaging through the fridge, I found a ripe mango that I put inside a couple days ago, and mango ice cream seemed like a good idea. I was also weeding my garden earlier in the morning and found another shoot of mint growing in between the beets (seems like you can never really get rid of mint!). ChatGPT affirmed my hunch that the pairing would work, so I adapted my previous Strawberry Ice Cream recipe to swap out the mango for the strawberries.
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Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker that was given to me and which has spent the last few years sitting on a storage shelf in my garage, completely forgotten about. Which is a shame, I’ve now come to realize! That’s because this past weekend my mom dropped off a giant pail of ripe, fresh picked strawberries that I couldn’t possibly have eaten all of before they went bad (well, maybe I could have) and I had one of those ah-ha! moments of divine providence when the Cuisinart caught the corner of my eye and some synapse made an unconscious connection. Hmm, strawberry ice cream… Why have I not been doing this all the time?