Make These Recipes in August to Celebrate the End of Summer

Made with white nectarines, this savory-sweet caprese just might trump the classic version. Burrata cheese adds richness, but feel free to sub in fresh mozzarella.

Chef Chris Cosentino is known for adventurous dishes like this one, a meet-up of mild grilled calamari (squid), fresh produce, and exciting seasonings. He grills the calamari over almond wood plus regular charcoal briquets; for the home cook, he recommends easy-to-find mesquite hardwood charcoal. To make the dish as fiery as Cosentino likes it, use 2 tbsp. black pepper and 2 tsp. Aleppo pepper, and don’t seed the serrano chile.

Crisp vegetables, a spicy sweet dressing, and soba noodles combine to make a perfect, picnic-ready side dish.

Grilled corn sprinkled with crunchy, spicy Salsa Seca is going to be your new favorite summer party food.

“This side dish is the best compliment to these rich and tasty proteins, especially in the summer after standing over a hot grill under the strong L.A. sun,” says chef Nico de Leon of Lasita in Los Angeles. “This dish is a fun play on something familiar, but we made it Pinoy.”

In the heat of summer, you want a salad that won’t wilt. Sweet papaya and earthy kale pick up smoke on the grill. Smaller, tender bunches of kale work best. L.A. chef and recipe developer Charles Olalia keeps the papaya slices and kale leaves whole to minimize prep work when camping, but you can cut them into smaller pieces after grilling if you are cooking at home. Leaving the skin on the papaya keeps it from falling apart on the grill.

Plain and simple: These snackable green peppers are a crowd-pleasing way to add a vegetable to the mix of an otherwise decadent spread.

Ripe summer tomatoes meet a hearty helping of seafood for a soup that’s substantial enough to call dinner. Grill up slices of country bread brushed with olive oil to eat on the side.

If you’re serving these vegetables with grilled meats, grill the vegetables first. They’re good eaten at room temperature.

These appetizer pancakes are a bit like latkes—moist inside and crispy at the edges. At Revel restaurant in Seattle, Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi serve them in summer as one of a rotating list of savory pancakes. You’ll need an 8-in. nonstick frying pan.

This is great option if you’re looking to grill something lighter than steaks or burgers.

The key to good kebabs is using very lean but tender meat; the top round is ideal (ask your butcher to cut it for you). A simple raita—a sauce of yogurt with chopped cucumber and mint—goes well with this, as does naan flatbread warmed on the grill.

The iconic street food takes on a new identity in this dish, in which seasoned falafel mix becomes a crunchy coating for fish.

A crisp, ingeniously light version of pizza. Grill the vegetables if they’re super ripe and juicy so the crust doesn’t become soggy.

The hot paprika adds a little kick to this dish, but feel free to substitute sweet paprika for a milder version.

With its generous marbling, rib-eye just may be the tastiest steak of all for the grill. Inspired by the cider-house tradition in the Spanish countryside, chef Matthew Dillon adds a phenomenal but simple sauce from the resting juices and a touch of cider vinegar and honey. He grills the meat over wood at the restaurant; for home grillers, he recommends hardwood charcoal and fruitwood chips.

This healthy and satisfying dish will be ready in 40 minutes—the perfect weeknight meal.

These are only quarter-pounders, but they look heftier because the meat is mixed with ground dried cherries (a powerful antioxidant) and a little bulgur. The seasonings and cheese take the cherries in a savory direction, keeping the burgers from being too sweet.

Sliced zucchini brings a fresh element to Italian sausage pasta. Served with some garlic bread and a glass of wine, it quickly becomes a satisfying meal.

The secret to this dish’s success is to use firm tomatoes, such as those sold on the vine. Roast them on a rack near the top of the oven.

Warm, richly spiced fruit served over a cool, creamy base makes a sweet ending to a brunch. And it’s simple: All you do is infuse the pineapple with seasonings and rum, then roast it in a hot oven until the juices are caramelized. Many markets sell pre-cut pineapple spears, which makes the dish even easier.

Although you can use all-purpose wheat flour, gluten-free flour (in combination with coconut oil) makes these brownies more tender and luscious. Let chill overnight for a firmer, easier-to-cut brownie.

For those times when you just can’t limit yourself to one kind of fruit, we created this variation on our Peach and Bourbon Cobbler with Almond Spoon Cake recipe. As a bonus, the nectarines and pluots don’t require any peeling, and the cherries in syrup come already pitted.

This dish is a great alternative to super-sweet desserts. If you can’t find Turkish Urfa biber chiles, which have a lovely sweet and smoky flavor, substitute red chili flakes. Bonus: The leftover syrup makes the base for a peach cooler!

This dessert is great for backyard barbecues: Make everything ahead, then quickly assemble and serve. The cake is denser and more buttery than classic shortcake.