Summer Fruits with Lime, Honey and Mint

Ok, you read the heading right? Yup, its really that easy.

Chop fruits that you like

Put in bowl

Drizzle honey

Zest a lime

Add a little lime juice (depending on tartness of your fruit)

Chop mint

Toss

Serve alone, or with greek yogurt and pistachios, or with ice cream

I <3 summer

Saffron Linguine Clams with Summer Tomatoes

I make a basic linguine clam dinner year round. Its such a great pantry dish, with good canned clams always on hand, lots of garlic and a little cream. But in the summer months I need to take full advantage of the flavors of the season. The light floral of saffron and diced heirloom tomatoes in green, yellow and red hues really brighten up this dish, and the addition of some fresh steamed clams give it that summery right from the sea saltiness. And it's still as easy as ever.

Cook your linguine (I like skinny linguine fini) in a big pot of salted water

Meanwhile, saute a couple cloves of garlic in olive oil (I like to grate my garlic with a microplane, it takes less time and it releases all those luscious oils)

Add a splash of white wine and a pinch of saffron, let this simmer until the saffron begins to release

Toss in a small can of chopped clams with their salty juices and a splash of half and half

And a handful of scrubbed steamers if you want to add some fresh ones too

Let it all simmer until the clams begin to open

(If you didn't do something fancy like soak your clams overnight in cornmeal and water, which I never think to do, you will want to carefully remove them and rinse out any sand. Either pop them back in whole, or chop them up and add to the sauce like I did in this photo)

Finish with a little lemon zest and cracked pepper, taste for salt, often the clams have just enough

For garnish, find the best tomatoes you can, preferably local ones from a farmstand or farmers market

Chop up coarsely, drizzle with good olive oil, a pinch of salt and chopped parsley

Serve family style on a big platter with crusty bread

Summer Tomato Sandwiches

There is nothing that tastes more like summer than a real, unadulterated tomato sandwich. Nothing that relies more on the simplest quality components. Fresh baked crusty bread, ripe summer tomatoes, good mayo, and a little cracked pepper and sea salt. That's it. Waxy grocery store tomatoes and squishy bread step aside, this is not your stage. This is the trifecta of summer, a showcase for wonderfruit, where luxe meets country. Sure you could add a fresh basil leaf or two, herb up your mayo, grate lemon zest, slip on a slice of fresh mozz or prosciutto, but there's really no need. Like a perfect apple pie in october, let it stand alone, speak of its history, indulge your senses and make you feel connected to the soil beneath your feet, for just a moment's respite on a hot summer's day.