Quick

Garlic vinaigrette is the dressing I make most often. The quantities that follow are only an approximate guide because garlics, vinegars, and oils vary so much in strength and intensity. The first step in making a vinaigrette is to macerate garlic in vinegar and salt. The vinegar softens the raw taste of the garlic, and the salt tames the sharp edge of the vinegar. Sometimes I like to mix different kinds of vinegar; a few drops of balsamic vinegar can temper a wine vinegar that’s too strong. Taste for balance and adjust by adding more salt or vinegar; it should be neither too salty nor too acidic. The mixture should taste delicious by itself.

This is a salad that David Chang (page 80) made in the Green Kitchen. David’s cooking often applies traditional Asian flavorings and methods to the foods of this continent. This salad is similar to a tomato and mozzarella salad, but it is quite different and surprising in its combination of flavors.

Sweet corn comes in an array of yellows and whites. There are ears that are full of white kernels, yellow kernels, or both yellow and white. The open-pollinated varieties begin to lose sweetness, converting sugar to starch from the moment they are picked. Modern hybrids have been bred to keep their sweetness for a few days, but some argue that these varieties are too sweet and lack “corn flavor.” What better way to decide than by experimenting with a few varieties to discover your own favorites? No matter the variety, corn is still best eaten fresh, the day it’s picked. Look at the cut end to gauge the freshness. Select ears that are plump, juicy, and bright in color, with a fresh cut. The brown silk may look a little sticky on a very fresh ear of corn. Don’t be put off if there is a worm at the tip—not that one wishes for a worm, but its presence is a healthy sign that the farmer is not using pesticides. If you can’t eat it immediately, store corn in the refrigerator, unhusked. Shuck corn right before you cook it, removing the husk and all the silk. If there has been a worm visitor, slice off the evidence; no harm has been done to the rest of the ear. To remove the kernels from the cob, hold onto the stem end, pointing the tip of the ear down, and run your knife down the cob, cutting off the kernels. The trick is to gauge the right depth at which to cut—not so deep as to take some of the cob with the kernel, but not so shallow that too much of the kernel is left behind. It is less messy if you tip your ear into a roasting pan to catch all the kernels as they are shaved off. If you wish, rub the cob with the back of the knife to remove all the corn milk from the kernel bits left behind.

Cauliflower is a bunched mass of flower stems. The mass of flowers is referred to as the curd. Cauliflower is typically white, but there are green and purple varieties as well. The leaves are the best indicator of a cauliflower’s freshness. Look for bright fresh leaves, and heads with tight, brightly colored curd. There should be no brown spots; these are signs of age, as is a coarse-textured curd. Wash the cauliflower well. Trim away any damaged leaves, but leave the nice ones, as they are actually quite tasty.

Asparagus comes in three colors: green, purple, and white. The green and purple varieties taste very much the same and the purple, when cooked, turns dark green. White asparagus, which doesn’t turn green because it is grown protected from the sun, is much more rare and expensive, and it has a milder flavor. Asparagus is best when the tips (the blossom ends) are tightly closed, and its flavor is sweetest when freshly harvested. Look for smooth-skinned, brightly colored spears with fresh (not dried-out looking) cut ends and compact tips. To prepare asparagus, grasp each spear and bend it until it snaps. The spear will break at the natural point where it becomes tender. I prefer fat asparagus stalks to thin ones because once they are peeled they are sweeter and less grassy-tasting than the skinny ones. The trick is to use a peeler that removes paper-thin layers of skin, exposing pale green flesh, not white. This is unnecessary if the spears are quite thin, or if they are going to be cut into small pieces. Start about 1 inch below the blossom tip and peel down along the spear towards the cut end.

The part of the broccoli plant that we eat is the unopened budding sprout, meaning that broccoli is, more or less, a big unopened flower. The most typical variety of broccoli is green and fairly large. Other types include sprouting broccoli, which produces small, dark green sprouts that are harvested individually. Romanesco broccoli looks a little otherworldly; it is chartreuse-green with a conical head made of pointy spiraling florets. There is also purple broccoli, some of which has such compact heads that it looks more like cauliflower than broccoli. Select broccoli that is brightly colored and firm, with compact heads that are not wilted, yellow, or blooming. Remove the florets from the main stem and cut or break them up as desired. Trim the end of the stems, and when they are large, peel them with a paring knife or peeler. Cut the peeled stems into sticks or slices.

This is only one example of the many summer fruit compotes that turn combinations of fruit into delectable desserts. All the fruits of summer—plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, cherries, figs—can be cut up and soaked together in their own juices with a little sugar and lemon juice. Summer fruit compotes are delicious by themselves; on pancakes or waffles; with almond cake or angel food cake or a plate of cookies; or with ice cream, whipped cream, or sherbet.

Almost any combination of dried fruits can be refreshed this way and turned into a dessert to be served alongside a slice of cake, or with a little crème fraîche. Fresh winter citrus fruits also make beautiful winter compotes when soaked in syrup flavored with their zest.