Fruit

Charring cauliflower on the grill turns the exterior crisp and golden, while the internal flesh becomes sweet and nutty. Cutting the head into wedges first maximizes the caramelized surface.

Grilling watermelon caramelizes the sweetness of the fruit, and the char gives just a hint of smoky flavor.

This recipe pairs crispy fried plantains with homemade hot sauce and a cooling lime sour cream, but each is delicious all by itself.

Smothered pork chops may be an iconic soul food specialty, but this recipe proves you can smother anything. All it really means is coating slow-cooked meat with a blanket of saucy aromatics that end up as gravy too.

If your watermelon isn’t very sweet, force it to be savory by adding peppery radishes and a quick vinaigrette. With mint strewn all over, it's super-refreshing.

Mark our words: This is the easiest pie you’ll make all summer. The graham cracker crust gets filled with a simple mixture of sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice, and it gets topped with a golden-brown crown of meringue.

This is cookbook author Jerrelle Guy’s tangy updo to the classic strawberry shortcake.

A family recipe that will never get old.

Take a classic coconut cake, add fresh strawberries to the mix, and what do you get? Pink layers that burst against a bright, white cream cheese frosting.

The tender sweetness of summer-fresh strawberries paired with chunks of cherry-red rhubarb creates our favorite sweet-and-sour dessert.

Hibiscus punch with ground ginger, roasted pineapple, and fresh lime. Rum optional.

Roasting the strawberries is a real game-changer and brings out such an intense, sweet flavor in this cake, which gets added fragrance from elderflower cordial.

I love the notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, sweet warming spices in these baby back ribs.

Since the crunchy apple and kohlrabi are so refreshing, it would make the perfect palate cleanser between heavier courses at dinner, but most often I eat it for a light lunch.

Adding yogurt to the batter for these cake doughnuts made them light, tangy, and rich, and gave us a dough that was easy to work with.

Running out of Thanksgiving pie is the biggest drag of the holiday season. Console yourself by making these cookies with oats, chocolate chips, dried fruit, and nuts.

Mix the batter with a fork until it just barely comes together. A lumpy batter now means a light and tender waffle later.

A salty, crumbly pistachio topping; juicy macerated fruit; and yes, store-bought ice cream combine for a back-pocket dessert that might feel a bit like cheating but is so good nobody will care.