Ratatouille is a bowl of summer’s bounty, elevated beyond the sum of its parts, through the magic of heat and time. Sadly, out of season ingredients, and bad preparations have left most people craving the Disney flick over the summer stew from Provence.

If you’ve ever had a good ratatouille though, it’s a memory that’s hard to forget. Large chunks of tender vegetables, impregnated with the ripe flavors of the summer sun. Juicy, but not watery, and with a rich savoriness that tastes more sinful than its virtuous ingredients indicate.

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Summer’s upon us, and while the mornings remain cool here in Napa, the blazing summer sun heats the valley like a giant clay oven. It’s the kind of weather that discourages any serious cooking, which is why I like to rely on salads like this which can be made before my place gets too hot. With chilled soba noodles, avocado, cherry tomatoes, marinated tofu, and cilantro all tossed in a nutty sesame dressing, it makes for a delightful side, or a filling vegan main. Check out my full post and recipe over at PBS Food this week.

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For Americans, the word “pudding” may evoke images of Bill Cosby hawking cups of the rich creamy chocolate dessert on TV, but elsewhere in the world, “pudding” is a word used to describe a whole family of dense starch-based dishes that can be either sweet or savory. Summer pudding hails form the UK where it was once a popular treat during the warmer months. While it may not enjoy the pedigree of an Eton Mess or the popularity of Scones, it deserves a place in the pantheon of delicious simple desserts.

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Gyoza(餃子) is the Japanese version of the Chinese dumpling Jiaozi(饺子). Better known as “potstickers” in the US, they’re delightful little dumplings made with garlicky meat and vegetables, wrapped in a thin noodle-like wrapper with pleated edges. I created this meatless version for a vegan client, but they turned out so well, I may never use pork in my gyoza again!

That’s because these Japanese potstickers are perfectly suited to going meatless, thanks to a filling that is brimming with the pungent flavors of garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Add in some umami enhancers like powdered shiitake mushroom and soy sauce, and these dumplings couldn’t possibly be accused of being bland, even by the most ardent carnivore. In this dish, the challenge wasn’t in the flavor department, but in the texture. For this, I enlisted the help of my recent go to for vegetarian ground meat, paired with some quinoa.

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For many, there’s a direct relationship between fancy food and effort. But with a few quality ingredients, it’s not difficult to make a dinner-party-worthy dish in less time than it takes to order a pizza. This steak with cheese and mushrooms is incredibly simple and yet the melted Brie turns into a luscious sauce that adds richness to the lean filet. Together with mushrooms sautéd with the caramelized beef juices, and you have a ten-minute dish that wouldn’t look out of place on a three star menu. Head over to PBS for my full post and recipe.

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For me, cravings often manifest themselves as an emotional reaction to something I see, rather than from a recollection of something I’ve actually eaten. I was out grocery shopping the other day and as I walked through the mall connecting the grocery store to the train station, I noticed a big glossy poster outside a chain restaurant promoting a new dish. It showed a crown of giant plump shrimp, atop a mound of spaghetti tossed in a verdant green pesto.

I’m sure the actual dish was far less impressive, but the poster did its job and snagged my attention. In fact I found myself craving those juicy coral prawns and emerald strands of pasta hours after arriving home. My lazier side briefly contemplated returning to the cafe for dinner, but past experience has taught me to be weary of the lust-inducing talents of food photographers.

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Don’t let the “vegan” in the title turn you off because these savory scones are mighty tasty, thanks to some caramelized onions and powdered shiitake mushrooms in the dough. Head over to PBS Food this week to check out my secrets for making a dairy-free scone that’s moist and fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.

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If I’m going to eat something called blueberry pancakes, I want a sweet indigo marble to burst into a pool of tart flavor with every bite. Sadly, most pancakes I’ve come across that proudly proclaim their contents, are a far cry from the berry spangled pancake of my dreams. Devoid of flavor and with giant hollows carved out by flaccid watery berries that interfere more than enhance. Boxed mixes are in some ways worse, with an over-the-top “blueberry” flavor that reminds me of the Hubba Bubba bubblegum I used to chew as a kid.

My solution is to use wild blueberries. They tend to be much smaller than the commercial variety found in supermarkets and unlike their watery over-sized counterparts, they actually taste like blueberries. Fresh wild blueberries are only available in mid to late summer, in areas where they grow, but thankfully, most upscale grocery stores (like Whole Foods) sell frozen wild blueberries. This means you can always have them on hand for those times when you wake up with a serious craving for blueberry pancakes.

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In Japan, where wasting food is tantamount to heresy, they’ve taken this humble upcycling of stale bread and turned it into a culinary craze. But rusk is ridiculously simple to make at home and not only does it prevent waste, it makes for a delicious teatime snack. Head over to PBS Food for the lowdown.

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I know what you’re thinking. “Peanut butter in a taco?!” It might sound a little crazy, but hopefully I’ve earned enough trust from you all over the years that you believe me when I tell you that it makes for an awesome combo. Moles(the Mexican sauce, not the burrowing rodent) traditionally use nuts and seeds to add richness and depth, so using peanut butter is not much of a stretch. Read my full post and get the recipe over at Peanut Butter & Co.

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Often found as part of a meze, this popular dish originated in Aleppo, Syria, which is known for its wondrous red chili peppers. Like most dishes that have been around since before the reign of cookbooks and measuring cups, Muhammara is made in about as many ways as there are cooks who make it. Most recipes use a base of breadcrumbs and walnuts, but some versions use bulgur, while others omit the breadcrumbs and rely solely on walnuts.

Having come from a town with a pepper named after it, it’s no surprise that the key ingredient in Muhammara is chili peppers. Both fiery and fruity, Aleppo Peppers come in at around 6,000-15,000 Scoville Heat Units putting them above Hungarian hot paprika (100-500 SHU), but below Cayenne (35,000-55,000SHU) in terms of spiciness. Some preparations call for fresh Aleppo peppers, while others use the peppers dried and ground into a powder, still others call for the peppers to be roasted.

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If you live in the northern latitudes spring tends to come a little late, but when it does finally arrive, it comes fast and furious with an onslaught of blossoms, fruit and vegetables. A recent haul of asparagus, snap peas and baby ramps inspired me to come up with a fresh take on this new American classic, returning it back to its roots as a dish that can be thrown together with odds and ends from your spring pantry. Check out the history of Pasta Primavera along with my take over at PBS Food this week.

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It’s Cinco de Mayo and you’re probably wondering why I’m sharing a Chinese dish with you on this day that General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín led a ragtag band of Mexicans to victory against a French force double it’s size. Well, I don’t have a good excuse, but I can tell you that this Huí Guō Ròu is AMAZING stuffed into a fresh corn tortilla.

Huí Guō Ròu (回锅肉), which literally means “meat returned to pot” is a dish with Sichuan roots. As the name implies, the meat is boiled once before being stir-fried. The idea is that by boiling the pork belly, it not only renders out some of the fat, it also tenderizes the meat. Because the boiling time is so short it’s debatable how tender it makes the meat, but what it does do is prime the fat for high-heat cooking.

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When it comes to Mexican cuisine, there are few things more provocative than a classic mole that involves hours of roasting, grinding, caramelizing, and braising. As delicious as it can be, not every occasion calls for a whole day spent in the kitchen, especially on a day like Cinco de Mayo, which for me, is more about drinking and eating with friends than it is about commemorating the Mexican Army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla. That’s why I came up with these braised mushrooms tacos. They’re healthy, filling and delicious, but best of all they’re easy to make so you can spend the day tossing back margaritas and catching up with friends rather than sweating over a hot stove.

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This tuna tartare is easy to make and makes for an impressive first course for a dinner party. With a flavorful layer of tuna marinated in olive oil, soy sauce and chives, a layer of creamy avocado, and a magical gelée made with with yuzu infused dashi, it’s as visually stunning as it is orally stimulating.

The gelée has just enough gelatin to thicken the dashi into a sauce that will stay put. When you take a bite, the heat of your mouth instantly melts the dashi turning it into a pool of flavor with a vibrant flourish of yuzu and smoky umami from the dashi.

Despite looking complicated, the preparation is fairly simple. The keys to being successful are the quality of your dashi and the fish. Dashi, is the generic word for “stock” in Japanese, but unless it’s preceded by a qualifier (like chicken, shiitake, etc), it usually refers to a stock made with a combination of kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito). While there are several ways to make dashi, I prefer using “dashi packs” which have the ingredients ground up and sealed into little tea bags. It strikes a good balance between convenience and quality. See this post for more info on the different types of dashi.

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