Recipes

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

The love child of a juicy summer fruit pie and a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, these family-friendly bars are perfect for a backyard picnic or an after-school snack. They’re super fast to make with an electric mixer, but you can also make the dough by hand: Just be sure the butter is very soft before you start, and mix with a sturdy wooden spoon or rubber spatula. To make easy work of pressing the dough into the baking dish, use lightly floured hands or the bottom of a flat measuring cup.

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

The benefit of using frozen fruit in these tangy scones is in how it keeps the butter cold. Cold butter melts slowly in the oven, creating steam and tender pockets in the scones. The frozen fruit also doesn’t get smashed the way fresh fruit does. You can freeze the scones before baking for up to a month, just add a few minutes to the baking time. They are delicious on their own or with a bit of butter, but, for extra credit, split and toast the scones, then mix a spoonful of sour cream with some freshly whipped cream and sandwich inside.

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

Tangy from yogurt and rippled with blackberries, this frozen pie will make a pretty addition to barbecues and backyard cookouts. The salty cracker crust against the sweet tart filling is a match made in summer heaven. Raspberries work in place of the blackberries, too. Want to know what to do with leftover sweetened condensed milk? Stir into iced coffee or Thai iced tea, or drizzle over sliced fresh fruit.

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

This pie’s crunchy toasted cornflake crust and honey-sweetened pudding may inspire new pie-centric breakfast routines, especially when topped with juicy plums. Feel free to play around with nectarines or peaches, too. Because cornflakes (and other not-too-sweet cereals) don’t have as much fat and sugar as packaged cookies and crackers, they need more sugar and butter to bind them into a sturdy crust. The extra butter here can sometimes cause the crust to puff or shrink while it bakes. If that happens, don’t worry: gently press the crust back into place while still warm with a flat bottomed measuring cup and proceed.

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

A chocolate cookie crust makes this strawberries-and-cream pie taste a bit like Neapolitan ice cream, but other crumbly cookies or sweet crackers work too. The best strawberries have a heady scent — they should smell like candy — and likely won’t need sweetening. But strawberry sweetness varies greatly, so taste one and toss them all with a little sugar as needed.

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

Each cheese plays a special role in this French bread pizza: A combination of Parmesan and pecorino makes it especially nutty and salty; mozzarella melts evenly and a sharper deli-style provolone bridges the gap between them. Once you learn how to make the classic white sauce (technically a Mornay, which is a béchamel with cheese added), you’ll find dozens of ways to use it beyond pizza: Swap in an equal amount of grated Cheddar and toss it with pasta for an easy stovetop mac and cheese, or use Gruyère, slather the sauce over ham on toast, and broil until bubbly and browned. The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time; store tightly covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

An easy no-cook sauce works as a tangy base for pizzas of all kinds. Draining the tomatoes before seasoning ensures the sauce won’t create any soggy bottoms, no matter what type of crust you build your pizza on. Use an equal amount of crushed or whole peeled tomatoes instead of diced if that’s what you have on hand. Just use your hands to break whole tomatoes up a bit (and drain off any additional liquid). The sauce will keep, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for about 5 days. But feel free to use your favorite jarred marinara in its place. Leftover pizza reheats beautifully in a 350-degree oven until warmed through.

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

Basil is the classic choice for this alternative to red sauce, but blend in any tender, flavorful herbs or greens like parsley, spinach, or arugula depending on what you have around. This pesto recipe doubles easily and freezes well, too: Transfer the finished pesto to an ice cube tray and freeze until firm. Pop the frozen pesto into a resealable bag, and keep it in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost whenever a pasta or pizza craving calls, though you can certainly use store-bought pesto to make things even easier. Fresh mozzarella creates excellent cheese pulls, but feel free to play around with other soft cheeses: A crumbling of feta or goat cheese would make delicious variations.

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

Use any mix of cucumbers you like for this tangy salad. If using slicing cucumbers — the slightly thicker ones you’ll find with seeds and sometimes waxier-seeming skins — you might want to peel them first and remove the seeds, which can dilute the dressing. To seed, simply halve the cucumbers lengthwise and use a teaspoon to gently scrape out the seeds. Feel free to play around with shapes, too. Slicing the cucumbers into rounds is easy enough, but half moons or other bite-size pieces are also welcome.

Dawn Perry · NYT Cooking

Red cabbage is especially pretty in this dish, but green cabbage, napa or savoy would work just as well, so use whatever you like. This recipe makes a generous amount of dressing so that you can dress the slaw to your liking. Start by tossing the cabbage with half the miso mixture, then add more until it's dressed to your idea of perfection. Whatever you don’t use can be tossed with other salad greens, drizzled over rice, or used as a dip for crunchy cucumbers, snap peas or carrots.

William Grimes · NYT Cooking

William Grimes

William Grimes · NYT Cooking

William Grimes

William Grimes · NYT Cooking

William Grimes

William Grimes · NYT Cooking

This recipe from the 19th century predates the era of the ubiquitous bourbon mint julep, instead using cognac and rye, making for a delicious throwback. William Grimes

Jonathan Miles · NYT Cooking

Jonathan Miles

Pete Wells · NYT Cooking

Pete Wells

Steven Stern · NYT Cooking

Steven Stern

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Port is one of David Wondrich's favorite cocktail ingredients, along with sherry. “One of the easiest ways to come up with new cocktails is simple substitution, port for vermouth, for example," he said. "Equivalent proof, but new textures and flavors.” By port, Mr. Wondrich means ruby port, a simpler, fruity, more accessible cousin of vintage port, and a blend of several vintages. Years ago Mr. Wondrich invented the St. Valentine, a blend of ruby port, white rum, Grand Marnier and lime juice that has a wonderfully ripe, round, punchlike refreshing quality. He reserves tawny ports for things like variations on the manhattan. Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Here is a punch to mix with the more flavorful American gins, from a recipe provided to The Times by the drinks historian David Wondrich. His cocktails are light and summery, and a refreshing change from the usual gin and tonic. This recipe makes 20 servings. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Florence Fabricant

Melissa Clark · NYT Cooking

This is a gentle-tasting but fully potent punch made with Cognac, maraschino, lime and nutmeg. It’s a concoction meant to celebrate the waning days of summer, the weeks before you put away the grill and pull out your sweaters. Pair it with savory grilled lamb and a salad, and you’ve got an end of summer feast. Melissa Clark

Maria Newman · NYT Cooking

David Wondrich, the mixologist and author, said this punch, which begins with a sugar and lemon peel "shrub,'' is "lowish on the alcohol, and slightly unusual. People like it when I make it.'' Maria Newman

Melissa Clark · NYT Cooking

According to the cocktail historian David Wondrich, from whom this recipe is adapted, this is the manhattan as it was made from the 1890s until the 1960s, and again since the 2000s. The optional absinthe, which amounts to no more than a dash per drink, is a late-19th century addition that gives the drink a little herbal pizzazz; do not use more than suggested. This keeps for weeks at room temperature. Melissa Clark