Quick

This summer, Marino grew about 85 tomato varieties in his garden; he uses his harvest in this caprese. Burrata cheese, a fresh mozzarella filled with cream and curds, is available at some supermarkets, Italian markets, and cheese stores. Fresh whole-milk mozzarella can be substituted.

Tasha Garcia and Julie Taras of Little Giant serve these peaches with their Lemon-Spice Bread Pudding . They would also taste great as a topping for pancakes or waffles.

To make this dish even more decadent, add cooked chopped pancetta or cooked and crumbled smoked bacon.

Link likes to use herbs from his garden in this recipe.

In Big Timber, a town of seventeen hundred people just northeast of us, lives Susan Pauli, a great gal and wonderful cook who is in great demand as a caterer. She makes this unusual summer creation as soon as the local watermelons have ripened. The pink color is gorgeous, and the salad travels well. Who would have thought that feta cheese and black pepper together would enhance the taste of watermelon?

Nothing melts in the mouth like baked bananas. Served with any kind of cream topping, it is a simple, unsurpassed dessert. Adjust the ingredients and flavors to your personal taste.

Serve this super-easy sauce alongside Shabu-Shabu

To make the prep easier, buy pre-sliced meat and vegetables; they're sold at some Asian markets. If you can't find pre-sliced meat, ask your butcher to slice it for you. Improv: Substitute bok choy for the cabbage, and onions for the leeks.

Imrov: Use fresh lemon juice instead of yuzu juice; try English hothouse cucumbers in place of the Japanese variety.

Baby bananas are sweeter than regular bananas. Choose ones that are ripe but firm. They can be found at many supermarkets or online at melissas.com.

Look for chayote at supermarkets, Latin markets, and natural foods stores — it's a light-green pear-shaped squash that's mild and crisp.

The Cuban classic gets a delicious boost from the addition of flavorful Spanish smoked paprika. Spanish paprika (Pimentón de la Vera) is everywhere for a good reason: its magically smoky flavor. Look for it at specialty foods stores or order it from latienda.com.

Editor's note: This recipe is reprinted from Jo Ann Bass and Richard Sax's book Eat at Joe's: The Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant Cookbook. At Joe's, the stone crabs are served cold, already cracked. They come with small metal cups of mustard or melted butter—or both. This is the mustard sauce for which Joe's is famous.