Stone Fruit and Arugula Salad with Gorgonzola and Roasted Almonds

A customizable summer salad that works with just about any combination of in-season stone fruit, and pairs well with whites that mirror the salad: peach and stone fruit, herbaceous green notes, and plenty of fruit to stand up to the blue cheese.

Pick your drupe.
Just about any drupe (a fleshy fruit with a pit) will work: peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, apricots, and mangoes are all great choices. (Prunes, coconuts, and olives are also stone fruits, but hopefully you get the idea.) Pick what’s ripe and juicy right now and run with it. In early summer you might use Rainier cherries and red plums; in late summer, ripe peaches and nectarines will be calling your name.

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4–6

INGREDIENTS

7 oz (about five heaping handfuls) arugula

2 peaches, nectarines, or red plums

10–15 cherries

One cup almonds

2–3 sprigs fresh mint

2.5–3 oz gorgonzola, crumbled

Juice from one lime

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Toast and chop your almonds
Toss raw almonds into a dry skillet over medium heat and toast, tossing often, until fragrant, about five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Roughly chop and set aside.

(Note: You can also use almonds that are pre-roasted and salted.)

2. Prep your fruit and mint
Cut your fruit into .5- to 1-inch chunks. (The cherry pieces will of course be smaller; just cut around the pit into four pieces each.)

Roughly chop the mint. You should have about a half a cup of chopped leaves.

3. Toss it all together
In your largest salad bowl, add arugula, fruit, almonds, chopped mint, and gorgonzola. Squeeze one whole lime and drizzle 1 or 2 tablespoons of good olive oil over the ingredients. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and toss.

Soy and Ginger Marinated Flank Steak

My family’s old stand-by.

Soaked in soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, then roasted or grilled to crusty-edge perfection, this absurdly simple preparation is flavor-packed and super versatile—eat it with chimichurri and a summery corn salad tonight, then fold the leftovers into tacos, Thai lettuce wraps, or a breakfast hash tomorrow. If you keep it simple, you can crank out steak for all kinds of meals.

Time: 30 minutes to twelve hours, mostly inactive
Active Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4–6

INGREDIENTS

1 2-lb flank steak

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp ginger

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tsp garlic (fresh or powder)

1/2 tsp (or so) pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a large plastic bag
Toss all the ingredients into a bag. Place the steak in there, too, and move things around so the steak is coated with liquid, and any solids (like the minced garlic) are evenly dispersed.

2. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours
Place in the fridge and let it marinate. It already has a lot of flavor after 30 minutes, but you can also leave it overnight.

3. Broil or grill
To broil: Turn on your broiler to its highest setting. Position an oven rack close to the broiler, and put a sheet pan in there for five minutes to preheat.

Pull the steak out of the bag, and place it on the sheet pan. (There will be lots of liquid in the bag. You can toss it or make a pan sauce: reduce in a small pot over medium heat for 15 minutes or until thick and velvety.) Broil for 8 minutes on one side, no flip required. It should have a nice crust on the edges. This step will probably create some smoke, so turn on your fan.

To grill: Get that grill super hot. Pull the steak out of the bag with some big tongs, and place it directly on the grill. Cook 4–5 minutes per side.

4. Slice and serve
Remove from the heat and let it chill out for a few minutes before slicing. Using a sharp knife, slice thin pieces on the bias, against the grain. It should be nice and rosy in the middle.

Rum Old Fashioned > Regular Old Fashioned

I love to drink cocktails—and talk about them, and ask other people to make me them—but the true barman in my household is Jarrett, and he introduced me to this handsome, brooding twist on the beloved traditional. It’s smooth, warm, and sophisticated, just like Jarrett (!), but luckily Jarrett doesn’t do #content, so I have stolen it and here it is.

Is it really better than a regular Old Fashioned? I think so. (Though I love regular Old Fashioneds, too.) Wanna fight about it on social media? Let’s do it.

How to Rum Old Fashioned

Simple and straightforward, the Rum Old Fashioned would make a great house cocktail for beginners and experienced barmen and women alike. The key is this: Choose a complex, smooth, aged sipping rum that’ll serve as the backbone of the drink. Go to a cool liquor store and look for bottles marked añejo, viejo, or reserva, in the $50–$75 range. Bonus if you can find something that’s aged in an interesting way, like in sherry barrels. If you’re into rum, grab two or three options so you can experiment.

Some people like Old Fashioneds with muddled orange and Maraschino cherry, but I happen to believe that’s a disgrace, especially if you’re using an interesting or special spirit that will only be overpowered by too much fruity sweetness. Stick with the classic and elegant garnish: an orange twist and a brandied cherry.

Time: Five minutes or so
Serves: One cocktail

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces good rum

1/4 ounce simple syrup

2 dashes Angustora bitters

A brandied cherry

Orange twist

Ice (big cubes are best)

1. Combine rum, simple syrup, and bitters over ice.
The bigger the cubes, the better, so you won’t dilute the drink.

2. Stir with a long spoon until very cold.

3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

4. Garnish with a brandied cherry and an orange twist.

Grilled Oysters with Homemade Breadcrumbs

On long, golden nights in August, there is no greater pleasure than eating fresh seafood en plein air. These grilled oysters—a surefire crowd-pleaser, even for your friends who think they don’t like oysters—are made with just a few simple ingredients and can be cooked entirely outdoors, on the grill, or prepped inside on a burner and finished on the grill, a la minute. Start with the biggest, saltiest oysters you can find locally (perhaps Wellfleets or Blue Points on the east coast, or Totten Inlets on the west coast), a good, sturdy loaf of stale bread, and you’re well on your way to a successful summery cookout.

Time: 30ish minutes, plus time to shuck
Serves: 4–6
Drink: Rosé

INGREDIENTS

24–36 oysters, shucked and reserved in a cooler on ice

Half a loaf of stale, sturdy, artisan bread

Extra virgin olive oil

Two cloves garlic, minced

Half a shallot, minced

2 tablespoons butter (plus more as needed)

A cup of roughly chopped fresh parsley

Two lemons

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Grill bread
Cut your bread into one-inch slices and brush with olive oil. Grill the bread (or fry in a cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat until deep brown and crispy, about five minutes on each side. If you’re working with fresh bread instead of stale, follow with a ten-minute stint in a 350-degree oven to further dry it out.

Set aside and let cool.

2. Make breadcrumbs
With a sturdy chef’s knife, cut your bread into cubes, then chop, chop, chop to make rustic breadcrumbs. It’ll probably take you 10 or 15 minutes—patience, Iago.

If you’re short on time (or energy), just toss the bread into a food processor and pulse for a few minutes. This will create more uniform crumbs and is certainly easier, though I liked the rustic texture of the hand-made crumbs. You can also use store-bought breadcrumbs if you prefer.

3. Toast and season breadcrumbs
Melt two tablespoons of butter in a skillet over the grill or on a burner over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until fragrant and soft. Add the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and chopped parsley. Toss frequently until the whole mess is golden-brown and smells like heaven. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Set aside and let cool. Steps 1–3 can be done up to five days in advance. Reserve breadcrumbs in a Ziploc or Tupperware at room temp.

4. Assemble oysters; cut up lemon wedges
Drain out most of the extra liquor from your shucked oysters. You want them to be moist, but not drowning in liquor. Arrange oysters on a tray, and cover each one with a spoonful of the toasted breadcrumbs.

Cut up some lemon wedges and set aside.

NOTE: If you’re not into wasting that precious oyster liquor, there are plenty of good uses for it! Add it to seafood stock, use it to deglaze a pan, or mix it into a Bloody Mary.

5. Grill ’em up
Place oysters shell-side down (obv) on your grill. Close the lid and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until the liquid under the breadcrumbs starts to bubble. (You don’t need to stress too much about over- or under-cooking; this is pretty forgiving.)

If you don’t have a grill, you can broil them on a baking sheet instead, about 5 minutes.

Remove oysters with tongs and set on a tray.

6. Squeeze fresh lemons over the top, eat!
They’ll be rippin’ hot when they’re first off the grill, so give them a couple minutes to cool off. Then, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over all the oysters and serve with more lemon wedges to use as needed. Eat up!

Glassy Chickpeas with Cumin and Lime

Chickpeas that are supposed to be crunchy very often turn out mildly crispy, or worse, kinda soft and stale-tasting. I’ve done a fair amount of testing and I’ve found only one way to make it work: dry, then fry. The result is a truly glassy snack that you can eat by the handful.

Time: 20 minutes
Drink: A margarita or a traditional daiquiri

INGREDIENTS

One can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup olive oil

2 T ground cumin

Kosher salt

Fresh-ground pepper

Zest of one lime

1. Preheat oven to 400 F

2. Prep the chickpeas
Spread the drained, rinsed chickpeas on a baking sheet. Use a paper towel to pat them dry.

3. Dry roast for 5 minutes; remove from oven
Put the sheet pan in the oven for 5 minutes. This dries the outside of the chickpeas without cooking or dehydrating the center—key to avoiding that soft, stale vibe. Remove from the oven.

4. Prepare your frying setup
Set a large plate lined with paper towels next to the stove. Set out a slotted spoon. You’ll want to work quickly once the oil starts heating up.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine cumin, lime zest, and a bunch of kosher salt and pepper (just do it by eye—you can always add more).

Add about a half a cup of olive oil into a deep, non-stick skillet or wide-bottom pot, so the whole bottom is coated. Turn the heat to medium-high and preheat the oil until it’s shimmering but not smoking, about five minutes, depending on your burner. (If you’re not sure, splash a bit of water into the oil—if it pops and spatters, it’s hot enough.)

5. Fry your chickpeas for 8–12 min
Drop the chickpeas into the hot oil. They’ll splatter and pop at first, so use an apron and a splatter screen if you have one. (I hold the lid of a large pot like a shield in front of my neck and lower face, like a MEDIEVAL KNIGHT.) Cook until they’re deep golden-brown, about 12 minutes. Shake the pan or stir frequently to ensure even cooking.

Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and place on the paper towels to drain.

6. Season while they’re still hot. Rest briefly.
Let the chickpeas drain for a few minutes then transfer to the bowl with the salt, pepper, cumin, and lime zest. Toss to coat. There will be some extra seasoning in the bottom of the bowl. Save it for next time!

Before you use them, rest for another few minutes on the paper towel—they’ll crisp up further as they cool.

7. Eat!
The best partttt, yo.

Anchovies, Butter, and Toast

People often ask us for Seattle restaurant recommendations, and at the very top of my list for the last ten years and counting is the inimitable Spinasse. When I close my eyes I can picture the dining room: all natural wood, lace, and brass, with elegant glassware and refined but relaxed service, my favorite kind. The space is warm and inviting, small but never cramped, with a long and spacious bar that looks directly into the kitchen. They make a mean Negroni, a plate of life-altering Tajarin, and a heavenly uova con fonduta. And the first bite of the evening is always a tiny slice of toast, smeared with really good butter and topped with a glossy, oil-packed anchovy. It is the perfect bite: crunchy, salty, and rich—a tiny delight to usher you into an evening full of them.

I brought this lovely tradition home several years ago and my friend Dylan and I each now keep it in the regular rotation for dinner parties. It’s easy to whip up in a pinch and feels unique and special.

Simple sophistication.

This is fancy finger food at its finest, and ridiculously easy to make. The key is this: Use good butter. These little delights are made of three things, no more, no less. Since the baguette is toasted with olive oil, it doesn’t have to be a top-shelf baguette to work; likewise, the anchovies should be of high-quality, but nothing fancy. (I like Ortiz, which you can get at just about any grocery store.) The butter is what matters: stick to an unsalted, European-style butter like Plugrá or Kerry Gold (also available at most grocery stores) and you can’t go wrong.

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: Hors d’oeuvres for 4–10
Drink: Sparkling wine

INGREDIENTS

Half a baguette

Good, unsalted European-style butter, like Plugrá

One jar or tin of olive-oil packed anchovies

Olive oil, as needed

1. Preheat oven to 400 F

2. Slice your baguette
Using a sharp and sturdy knife, cut your baguette into super-thin slices. Go as thin as you can—when toasted it should be more like a cracker than a slice of bread.

Work ahead: You can cut up the baguette and freeze the slices in a gallon bag for later use. (This is especially helpful when you’re throwing a last-minute cocktail party.) When you’re ready to make them, no need to defrost—they’ll toast up just fine. Just pull them out of the freezer and continue on to step three.

3. Spread pieces on a sheet pan; drizzle with olive oil
Place all the slices on a sheet pan and drizzle or brush lightly with olive oil. You don’t need a ton here, just enough to crisp up the edges here and there. Try to keep the edges from touching so they’ll crisp up better.

4. Toast in the oven until golden-brown
This should take about 7–10 minutes, but start checking on them after 5. They can burn quickly because they’re so thin.

5. Remove from oven; let cool

6. Spread cold butter on each crostini; top with an anchovy
Using fridge-temperature butter and working on a cool surface (i.e. not the hot sheen pan you just used), spread some butter on each piece of toast.

Top each with an anchovy (or half an anchovy if you’re working with big ones). I like to pull each anchovy out of the jar or tin and wick the extra oil off with my fingers, so it’s not too gloopy on the toast.

7. Arrange on a platter; reserve in the fridge
Arrange them on a platter (or, if you’re doing a seated dinner, you can plate up each one on a tiny plate) and reserve in the fridge until you’re ready to use. The butter should be cool and opaque, not melted.

8. Serve!
Because all the ingredients involved are beige-ish, it’ll never look like a stunning colorful dish, and that is A-OK. As soon as people taste them they’ll know what’s up.

Ultra-Soft Rhubarb Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

The best cinnamon rolls, in my humble opinion, are ultra-soft, fluffy, and pull-apart tender. The foolproof way to get that texture (and have it last for days) is to use a tangzhong—a hydrated flour slurry not unlike a roux. Bread made with tangzhong is more tender because the starches in the flour are pre-gelatinzed with hot water and milk, allowing your dough to absorb and preserve more liquid during kneading and baking. Adding a tangzhong could not be simpler: it takes about three minutes and only dirties one extra dish—and the results are well worth the trouble. Once you’re sold, try it in other breads that are best when extra-soft, like dinner rolls, Portuguese sweet bread, and Japanese milk bread.

Time: 3 hrs
Active Time: 1 hr
Makes: 12 rolls
Drink: Sparkling rosé

FOR THE TANGZHONG

35 g (2.5 tbl) water

35 g (2.5 tbl) whole milk

14 g (2 tbl) flour

FOR THE ROLLS

All of the tangzhong (see above)

250 g (2 cups) bread flour

10 g (1 tbl) malted milk powder (optional)

6 g (1 tsp) salt

5 g (1/2 T) yeast

85 g (1/3 c) whole milk

1 egg

43 g (3 tbl) butter, melted and cooled

FOR THE FILLING

265 g (2 cups) rhubarb, cut into 1/4-inch chunks

100 g (1/2 cup) sugar

60 g (1/4 cup) water

Pinch salt

Seeds from half a vanilla bean, or 1 tsp of vanilla extract

3 g (1 tsp) cinnamon

1 g (1/2 tsp) cardamom

FOR THE FROSTING

56 grams (1/2 stick, or 4 tbl) butter, soft

113 g (4 oz) cream cheese, soft

227 g (2 cups, or half a 1-lb box) confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch salt

About 1 tsp milk, as needed

Make your dough

Make tangzhong
In a small pot, add ingredients for the tangzhong. Whisk until no lumps remain.

Place pot over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pot. This takes about two minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Mix dough; let rest for 20 minutes
Add all your dough ingredients, including the cooled tangzhong, to a large bowl. Mix with a dough hook or a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. It will be sticky.

Let dough rest for 20 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate. This will make the dough easier to work with in the next step.

Knead; let rest 60–90 minutes
After it has rested for 20 minutes, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, either by hand or with a dough hook. If you knead it by hand, coat your hands and work surface with a bit of olive oil (instead of flour) to prevent sticking.

Shape your dough into a smooth ball and place in a large, lightly oiled boil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 60–90 minutes somewhere warm and dark.

Make coulis

Combine rhubarb, sugar, water, and vanilla bean in a small pot; cook on medium heat until the rhubarb starts to soften, about five minutes.

Remove the chunks of rhubarb with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl. Continue cooking the syrup for another 5 minutes to thicken and concentrate the rhubarb flavor.

Add the syrup back to the chunks of rhubarb in a bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes.

Purée
Blend until smooth in a food processor or blender, or using an immersion blender. Set aside or reserve in the fridge.

Make rolls

Lightly grease a 9”x13” baking pan
Use butter, cooking spray, or a neutral oil to lightly grease your baking pan. Set it next to your work surface.

Deflate dough; shape into a rectangle
Gently deflate your dough and shape it into an 18" x 8" rectangle. (Use a ruler or a yardstick if you’re bad at eyeballing, like I am. The dimensions matter if you want to make 12 rolls of relatively uniform size.)

Combine cinnamon and cardamom; sprinkle over the dough
In a small bowl, combine your cinnamon and cardamom until evenly dispersed. Sprinkle the mixture as evenly as you can over the dough. (You can also just mix the cinnamon and cardamom into your coulis and spread it all on at once in step 8. The only reason we keep them separate here is because the cinnamon turns your pink coulis brown.)

Spoon all of the coulis over the dough
Leave a 1/2-inch border with no coulis—when you roll them the coulis will smoosh up; this prevents overflowing.

Roll ’er up
Starting with the long end, gently roll as tightly as you can, working with your fingertips to lift the dough up and over the coulis with each layer, so you don’t squish it all out to the perimeter. When you get to the last roll, gently pick up the far end and bring it toward you to seal up the rolls. Press gently with your fingertips to close the seam.

Use a pastry cutter or a big knife to slice off the uneven ends, just at the very tip so you don’t lose too much dough. (And eat the raw dough, duh.)

Cut into 12 rolls and place into the baking pan
Tuck the seam side down, and use a bench scraper or a big knife to cut into 12 rolls, about 1.5” each. The dough is super tender and this step is messy—use the edge of your bench scraper or knife to move the rolls from your work surface to the baking pan.

Space them our evenly. There will be a couple inches of space between your rolls—don’t worry, they’ll rise.

At this point you can wrap the pan in plastic wrap and reserve in the fridge or freezer until later, or forge ahead.

Let rise 60 minutes
Let your rolls rise at room temperature, covered loosely with plastic wrap, for 60 minutes, or until they’re puffed up and crowding each other. If your room is cold, turn the oven on low heat and place the pan on top of the oven—they’ll rise best when warm and cozy.

NOTE: If you reserved them in the fridge or freezer, this will take longer. Allow up to 90 minutes for fridge-temp buns, or a few hours for frozen buns. (If you’re freezing them it is best to move them to the fridge the night before you want to eat them, then take them out and let rise at room temp before baking.)

Bake 25–30 minutes in 350-degree oven
Place a rack in the bottom third. It’s better to undercook these babies than to overcook them, so pull them out when they’re just starting to brown—it’s fine if they’re a bit pale. The internal temp should be around 190 F.

Make frosting

Combine ingredients, mix
While your buns cook, add cream cheese, butter, and confectioner‘s sugar to a large bowl. Beat using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, a hand beater, or a stiff wire whisk.

Add milk one teaspoon at a time to reach desired consistency. It should be pretty stiff—I only add one teaspoon. It’ll melt when added to the warm buns.

Set the frosting aside. You won’t need all of it—reserve any extra in a plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

The grand finale

Remove the pan from the oven; let cool for 5–10 minutes. Turn your pan upside down with your hand below it—the rolls should come right out as one big sheet. Turn right-side-up and place the whole thing on a wire rack.

NOTE: If you prefer, you can serve them directly in the pan. Just be sure to remove any leftover buns and reserve them in a bag or Tupperware, instead of in the pan. This prevents them from getting soggy.

Slather with frosting
Frost those bun babies to your liking—some of the frosting will melt into the nooks and crannies. This is a very good thing.

Serve warm
Reserve any extra buns in a large plastic bag or tupperware at room temp for up to three days. They’ll stay super soft.