Fresh recipes to seize the season

Krysten Chambrot
No one asks for perpetual winter. Few yearn for infinite fall or eternal spring. But how many songs, movies, books are dedicated to the idea of endless summer?
It’s only human to anticipate those long, languid days, when it’s OK to be a bit idle, to channel your innermost desire to be a lizard sunning itself on a rock.
While summer technically lasts a little more than a quarter of the year, the time to grill outside, indulge in perfect peaches and dreamy heirloom tomatoes, or just eat a hot dog, sand in your hair, feels fleeting. You want to make every bite count. You can think of the recipes, assembled by New York Times Cooking editors, as ways to capture the season. We consider them our summer bucket list, our must-makes, full of bright produce and opportunities to be outside. Make as many as you can, at your own leisurely pace, before the sun sets on the season.

Recipe: Grilled Steak With Sauce Rof
A combination of onion, parsley, scallions and chile, this classic Senegalese sauce adds complexity to dishes. Typically used to stuff fish as a marinade and top it as a bold relish, it is also great for tempering the smoky char of grilled chicken or steak. In this recipe, some sauce rof is used as a marinade and served as a topping. Thinned with a dash of olive oil, the relish also gets lemon juice to add a lovely sparkle. Go for a nice marbled cut of meat — the fat intensifies the flavour of the grilled meat and the sauce rof cuts through the richness. This condiment can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated in an airtight jar.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak or boneless short ribs
Coarse kosher salt (such as Morton) and black pepper
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
1 serrano chile or jalapeño, stemmed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 small bunch parsley, leaves and tender stems only (about 2 ounces)
1 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation:
1. Pat the steak dry and season lightly with salt.
2. Roughly chop the onion in a food processor by pulsing repeatedly. Add the serrano and garlic and pulse to combine. Add the scallions and parsley and pulse until chopped into a coarse paste. Transfer the paste to a large bowl and zest the lemon directly into it. Stir in 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. (Alternatively, finely chop the onion, serrano, garlic, scallions and parsley into a coarse paste by hand. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the lemon zest, oil, salt and pepper.)
3. Transfer about 3/4 cup of the paste to a small bowl. Place the meat in the large bowl and turn to coat. Marinate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate, covered if needed, for up to 12 hours.
4. Combine the reserved marinade with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and squeeze in about 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper, stir to combine and set aside.
5. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high.
6. Scrape any excess marinade off the steak and discard. Grill the steak until the contact side is seared, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes for medium-rare. Cook for an additional minute on each side for medium.
7. Transfer the steak to a board to rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice and transfer to a serving platter. Spoon the marinade dressing over the steak and serve immediately.

Recipe: Lemon Potato Salad With Mint
By Melissa Clark
This light and refreshing potato salad is the antithesis of the usual, creamy, mayonnaise-based recipes. The mint and scallion add a bright, herbal flavour while the sprinkle of chile lends a kick. Make this the morning you plan to serve it and let it marinate at room temperature all day long. Or refrigerate for longer storage but be sure to bring it to room temperature before serving. Other herbs like cilantro, parsley, tarragon and sage can be substituted for the mint; adjust the quantity to taste.
Yield: 8 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds small waxy white or yellow potatoes, roughly about the same size
Juice of 1 lemon, more for serving
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light green parts, more for serving
1/4 cup torn mint leaves, more for serving
1/4 teaspoon Turkish pepper, more for serving
Preparation:
1. Place whole unpeeled potatoes in a large pot with enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are just tender, 15 to 25 minutes depending upon size. Drain and cut potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks as soon as you can handle them.
2. In a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, salt and olive oil.
3. Transfer hot potatoes to a large bowl and toss with dressing, scallions, mint and Turkish pepper. Let cool to room temperature, or refrigerate until ready to use. Just before serving, top with additional lemon juice, scallions, mint and Turkish pepper.

Recipe: Tomato and Peach Salad With Whipped Goat Cheese
By Alexa Weibel
Whizzed in the food processor with some heavy cream and lemon zest, earthy goat cheese becomes rich and creamy, the perfect complement to juicy peaches and tomatoes. Fresh purslane, if you can find it, provides a slight crunch to the salad, but mâche or watercress would also work well. You could also tear up some basil, parsley or other tender herbs you have lying around and toss those in just before serving. Colourful, fresh and easy, this salad works as a starter, a side or a summery supper, piled on top of grilled bread.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard, preferably Maille brand
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, plus 2 teaspoons juice
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced
4 ounces soft goat cheese or feta
6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 large heirloom tomatoes (about 14 ounces total), cored and cut into 1-inch wedges
2 medium peaches (about 12 ounces), halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 packed cup torn purslane, mâche or watercress (optional)
Preparation:
1. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir in the red onion and set aside.
2. Crumble the goat cheese into the bowl of a food processor and whip until creamy, scraping down the sides of the work bowl as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and lemon zest and whip just until fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste with salt.
3. Spread the whipped goat cheese on a large serving platter or in shallow bowl, distributing it evenly using the back of a spoon. Add the tomato wedges, peach wedges and purslane to the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place on top of the whipped goat cheese and serve immediately.