Summer recipes

By Henry Zheng

Summer is right around the corner, and along with all the amazing weather, sunsets and free-time you’ll most likely cherish, summer time food is something we all look forward to, from its freshness to its use of seasonal foods.

From brunch to dinner, we have compiled a bright summer recipe list, perfect for all your summertime needs.

1. Brunch:
   1. Eggs Benedict
      1. A perfect blend of hollandaise, fresh dill and bright capers, this dish is bound to impress any of your friends and is perfect for any bright, sunny day. Just be warned that hollandaise is a bit tricky to prepare and only practice makes perfect.
      2. Ingredients: 1 tbsp. capers, 5-10 slices of smoked salmon, 2 English muffins, dill, 2 eggs, 3 tbs. butter, 1 lemon, 1 tbsp. vinegar, 1 shallot.

• 2 Servings.
  1. In a bowl, separate one egg yolk out from an egg. Place into a clean metal bowl and drop in your chopped butter along with a squeeze of lemon juice.
  2. Either over very low flame, or a double boiler (over a pot of boiling water), whisk this mixture until homogenous. Add salt, capers, dill and chopped shallots to your taste
  3. Get a pot of water to a boil, then turn it down to med-low heat, and pour in your vinegar. Swirl the pot until it forms a sort of “vortex”, and drop your raw egg in. The white should begin to twirl around the yolk. Wait for about 3 minutes, then remove from water and place in a bowl of ice water. (Repeat for 2 eggs)
  4. Get a hot pan, cut and butter up the English muffins, and toast them until golden brown.
  5. To plate, place your English muffins down, follow it up with, smoked salmon, your egg (drained and pat dry), and then a hefty serving of you hollandaise sauce. Top with more dill and capers, and you’re done!

2. Dinner:
   • .

1. Steak
   • .Nothing is better in the summer than a nice steak on top of some fresh greens. This recipe is bound to have you hooked from the start, with the nice crisp crust of the steak to the bright greens that are served with it. Perfect for outdoor parties, beach barbeques and backyard cookouts.
   • Ingredients: Steak of your choice (Use NY strip preferably, but flank works good too), butter, chopped garlic, shallots, arugula, various greens of your choice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil.
   • 1-2 Servings.
     1. In a pan pour some olive oil and your chopped garlic. Let that sit on very low heat for about 6-10 min until garlic has turned golden brown.
     2. Season your steak with salt and pepper as needed. Get a pan ripping hot (either stainless steel or cast iron), add some canola oil (or grapeseed), and place down your steak.
     3. Let the steak sit for 5 min to develop that crispy crust, then flip it over and repeat. Lower the heat, and add butter and 2 whole garlic cloves, along with some rosemary if you have some. “Base” the steak (use a spoon to constantly spoon hot butter over your steak). Usually for thinner steaks you would be done at this point, but if you steak is thicker you can stick it into a 425 degree oven to continue cooking (about 5-6 min, depending on your steak).
     4. Let the steak rest for 10 min. On the side prepare your dressing: olive oil, a pinch of salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Swirl and set aside.
     5. Cut up your steak, plate it on your greens, and top it off with your dressing! Super easy and yummy.

3. Dessert
   • . Fresh Berry Ice Cream
     • .This ice cream contains all you could ever want in a dessert – soft, smooth cream and fresh, bright fruit. Seasonal berries are in their peak season, but feel free to include any other fruits such as plums and peaches into the mix.
     • Ingredients: 4 cups heavy whipping cream, sugar, 2 tbsp. vanilla extract, seasonal fruit, 1 can condensed milk.
       1. In a pot, place your cut, seasonal fruits and add a bit of sugar. Simmer on medium/low heat until fruits have significantly shrunk or start to have a syrupy consistency. Set aside in the fridge to cool.
       2. In a cold bowl, whisk together your heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Stop until it resembles very thick shaving cream.
       3. Add in your condensed milk.
       4. Pour your ice cream base into some tubberware, alternating between layer of ice cream and fruit.
       5. Freeze, and enjoy! (No churning needed for this recipe)

1. Seasonal Berry Granita
   • This smooth ice granita topped with fresh whipped cream is bound to have you hooked, from the start.
   • Ingredients: ½ cup heavy whipping cream, 5 tbsp. sugar, 1 cup seasonal berries
     1. Put your berries in the blender with a 4 tbsp. sugar and about 100 ml of water.
     2. Blend until the consistency is like a thick smoothie, or runny cake batter.
     3. Pour into a thin sheet pan, and place into the freezer.
     4. Stir the mixture with a fork every 30 minutes to ensure no huge ice crystals form.
     5. After 4-5 hours, get a clean bowl, pour in your heavy cream and rest of the sugar and whip until the consistency resembles thick shaving cream.
     6. Serve your granite in small bowls or cups, and top them off with the whipped cream you made. Enjoy!

From steak to granitas to fresh fruit ice cream, these recipes are a sure-fire way to impress any of your friends and make your summertime hangouts just that much better.