For The Weekend: Summer Recipes to Savor Before Fall

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The end of August and start of September is a time of change. Summer is slowly winding down and the sometime phantom season of fall is (hopefully) approaching. Kids go back to school. Our favorite television shows are starting up. Your local farmers market selection is dwindling and will be ending soon. It’s a time when our tastes change and restaurants begin to tinker with  menus, experimenting with dishes that offer the bold flavors of fall. But wait! If you haven’t had your fill of summer yet, there’s still time. Here is a list of end-of-summer ingredients that are at their peak, and some recipes for dishes to devour before summer fades into fall.

White Nectarine and Burrata with Guanciale Chip Crostini

Source: Carl Foronda, 1760, CUESA website

This recipe features an under-appreciated summer fruit, the nectarine. It’s a relatively straightforward dish that can be served as a light snack or appetizer featuring everyones favorite duo, fruit and cheese.

No summer meal would be complete without a refreshing side car of alcohol. Try a light, crisp, and citrus forward, Albarino, a wine perfected in the coastal fishing hub of Galicia, in northwestern Spain.

Fried Squash Blossoms

Source: Rachel Cooks Thai

Fried squash blossoms have become one of my favorite foods to order at restaurants in the summertime. This recipe, from cooking channel TV, raises the savory factor by piping ricotta cheese into the fried flowers of summer’s favorite squash, the zucchini.

For me, fried foods, even fried flowers, always bring beer to mind as a pairing. For this lightly fried dish, I would drink a light belgian farmhouse saison ale, and you can’t get a better saison than Saison Dupont.

Potato-Crusted Halibut with Corn, Tomato, and Green Bean Salad

Keith Hammerich, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies at CCSF, CUESA

Fish is a summer staple for a main course. This halibut dish showcases summer corn and heirloom tomatoes in a meal you can easily impress with at home. Why not pair this with a light and fruity Pinot Noir Rose from Gustave Lorentz.

Kyle Thacker
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