No-Cook

When I was a kid, my sister and I would make a platter of these after school and eat them while watching The Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island. To this day, I can tell you the plot of any episode just by watching the first two seconds. I can also still eat a whole platter of these. Granted, they're nothing fancy, but they're always the first things to go. Try them when you're inviting a few friends over for beer on a hot summer's day.

After a few summer trips to Maine in search of the perfect lobster roll, I've become a purist of sorts. My favorite roll comes from a place in Cape Porpoise that uses only fresh lobster meat and Hellmann's mayonnaise. So that's how I make my lobster salad. Except I use frozen lobster meat and add a little diced yellow pepper for some crunch and color. Oh, and I add salt and pepper. I guess my lobster salad isn't quite like theirs after all.
You can make the lobster salad earlier in the day and keep it covered in the refrigerator. And you might as well slice the cukes while you're at it and keep them in the fridge separately. Assemble just before your guests arrive.

Bourbon:
Bourbon is a type of whiskey that is only made in America from at least 51% corn. In that regard, it differs from Scotch and Irish whiskeys, which are made from malted barley. Rye whiskey is made from—you guessed it—rye. There's a helluva lot more you could learn on the subject of whiskeys, but you're not gonna learn it here. All you need to know is that good bourbon is delicious.

Blend and freeze four ingredients and, minutes later, you've got this creamy, frozen confection of plump, purple blueberries and cream. This egg-free version of ice cream demands the sweetest gems of summer for maximum flavor and color. Don't expect this to last too long. You'll be making your next batch before you know it. Rinse the berries just before using, no sooner.

This zesty salad is big on beans and packs plenty of protein and vitamins!

Cool to the eye as well as on the palate, this gazpacho-like starter gets its body and buttery undertones from cashews. Yes, the Cubanelle pepper was initially chosen for its starting letter, but its mild sweetness and juicy crunch clinched the decision.

Celebrate the last of the hot weather with a spirited, chunky gazpacho in the Mexican mode. Tomatoes give the soup their characteristic rich, rounded flavor, and tomatillos—an Aztec and Mayan staple—lend fruity tartness and great body.

Watermelon and yogurt may sound like unlikely bedfellows, but this refreshing dish deliciously disproves that assumption. Flaky shards of sea salt, added just before serving, highlight both the melon's sweetness and the sauce's savory tang.

Feathery carrot tops, the often discarded exclamation point to this popular vegetable, have a sprightly bitterness—almost a cross between radicchio and parsley—that makes them an intriguing accent to a crisp, cumin- scented slaw. Although it's wonderful made with regular orange carrots, you could also showcase the rainbow of offerings (in shades of scarlet, burgundy, and yellow) that beckon at farmers markets.

Italian parsley isn't usually valued as a salad green. But when it’s tempered by earthy, juicy raw beets and a citrus vinaigrette, the mineral-tinged flat leaves will be the talk of the table.

Although uva means "grape" in Italian, Concords are native to North America. A velvety sorbet brings out their inky, foxy intensity. It will, in fact, swing you right into autumn.

This fresh salsa was dreamed up when we were testing our Salt-Crust Chicken . It's also wonderful with fresh cod, corvina, branzino, and striped bass. It was invented by Lucía Soria, who, while still in her twenties, went from being a cook in my restaurant in Buenos Aires to the manager of Hotel Restaurant Garzon in Uruguay and my second-in-command at important events such as the inaugural dinner for Argentina's president.

Watercress, black pepper, and plain yogurt, which are easier to find, can be substituted here.

Pack carrot and celery sticks along with this lemony hummus.

In Ethiopia, the preparation of berbere takes days—chilies are dried in the sun for three days, then ground in a mortar and pestle, mixed with ground spices, and set in the sun to dry again—and it is usually made in huge amounts. Each Ethiopian family has its own recipe for this universal seasoning, with varying degrees of heat and spiciness. Traditionally, berbere is used to flavor Ethiopian stews, but I also like to use it as a rub for beef and lamb.