Mint

When I go to the farmers’ markets in summer and see all the bounty, I start asking myself, “What can work with what?” and “What would balance that fruit?” Apricots and peppermint are both refreshing flavors. In this dessert, the mint livens the apricot, providing an herbal contrast to the natural sweetness of the fruit.

In Italy, one of the most popular recipes for stuffed mushrooms hails from Liguria, the northern region that stretches along the Mediterranean coast (actually, the body of water here is called the Ligurian Sea) from the border of France all the way down to Tuscany. The capital of the region is Genoa, which on the one hand is the birthplace of pesto, and on the other is a port city where seafood is worked into recipes where you wouldn’t necessarily expect it. Like mushrooms, for example, which they stuff with salted anchovies, marjoram, and bread crumbs. That recipe is a little complex, so I’ve omitted the little fishes and simplified. This is not only a great side dish, but also the perfect antipasto for a casual get-together.

I made this with my friend’s daughter for a school fund-raiser and it was a huge hit. She helped me crush the ice with a rolling pin, then scooped it up and drizzled on the syrup. We used raspberry because we liked the color, but you can make any flavor you prefer. Serve these with some of the Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes (page 221) and squares of the Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (page 224) and you have a wonderful dessert party for kids or the makings of a great bake sale.

I love the flavor of granitas but the texture is usually quite granular and icy; the mascarpone smoothes this version out so it is more like a sherbet. Don’t scrape it until just before you serve it, as it will melt and look less appetizing

This dish is a perfect embodiment of the way I like to eat. The colors just say spring, it’s light, and everything tastes really fresh and bright.

Ground lamb is now very widely available, and it makes a nice change from the usual beef ragù once in a while. This is thick enough to serve in shallow bowls over rice or simply with some nice bread, but you could also increase the amount of marinara sauce to four cups and serve it over pasta.

I always prefer to use Japanese eggplants when I can because I find they are less bitter and don’t require salting the way bigger eggplants sometimes do. This is a very substantial salad and also very good looking, with pretty layers of eggplant, cheese, and nuts.

Most Italians would have all these ingredients readily at hand in their pantry; in fact, it’s what my mother fixed for me and my siblings as an after-school snack. I’ve updated it a bit with fresh mint to make a snappy appetizer bite.

For entertaining I usually prefer dishes that can be made ahead of time, but I make an exception for this one. It does need to be assembled at the last minute; but when you want something particularly beautiful to start a small dinner party, it’s worth the extra effort. The flavor of mint really shines through and the colors are stunning together, especially if you use a mix of heirloom tomato varieties.

I like mint–chocolate chip ice cream, but I think this shake with the same combination of flavors hits it out of the park. Even forgetting the scary, unnatural green color, most commercial mint ice creams taste a touch artificial. Steeping fresh mint leaves in milk and adding that to vanilla ice cream perfumes the shake with a bold yet refreshing mintiness. This recipe makes enough mint-flavored milk for two 16-ounce shakes (or four 8-ounce shakes). If you’re going to go to the trouble, you may as well make enough to share. The milk will keep for several days in the refrigerator. I have never liked the way chocolate chips mix—or, rather, don’t mix—into shakes. You can never get the pieces through your straw! I speckle this shake with chocolate by slowly pouring warm melted chocolate into the whirring blender; when it hits the cold ice cream mixture, the chocolate hardens into small drinkable flakes.

The fresh herbs in this salad add an exotic flavor that’s reminiscent of Mediterranean favorites.

This sparkling drink is ideal as a refreshing spritzer for brunch or on a hot summer day.

As with other nuts, you may find a variety of pine nuts available in your local grocery store. Toasted, salted, dry-roasted, raw, and even seasoned varieties are available in markets today. Be sure to look for pine nuts that are raw or dry-roasted, which means they’ve been roasted without any added oils or fats. Though I normally prefer dry-roasted, here they’ll toast in the pan, which will give the dish great flavor. To trim peas, just break off the stem end and strip the string away from the edge. It’s a great project for the kids.

The grand lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis is called “the living room of the South,” for good reason. It’s the best spot in town to sink into a comfy lounge chair, sip a cocktail, and watch people, or the occasional parade of ducks, come and go. Their bracing mint julep is justifiably famous.