Latest summer recipes to savor before autumn

Enjoying the last of the garden vegetables

Late summer is obviously one of the best times of the year to take full advantage of local vegetables: tomatoes are at their peak, corn is as sweet as can be, and zucchini continues to take over the gardens. Here are some simple ideas to highlight them before they disappear from the stalls:

🍅 A reimagined caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes of all colors

🌽 Grilled corn on the cob, brushed with garlic butter and grated cheese

🥒 A cucumber and fresh mint salad, perfect for those still-warm evenings

🍆 Summer vegetables grilled on skewers, colorful and easy to customize to everyone's tastes

🫑 A hearty ratatouille, which also freezes very well so you can remember summer in the middle of January

Summer fruits not to be missed

Warm-season fruits have a short window, and that is precisely what makes them precious. Here is how to enjoy them one last time before autumn:

🍑 A rustic, unpretentious peach pie that forgives imperfections

🍉 A watermelon, feta, and mint salad, refreshing and surprising

🫐 Blueberry muffins, perfect to prepare in large batches and freeze for the start of the school year

🍒 Fresh pitted cherries, to be savored as is or in a clafoutis

🍓 Homemade strawberry jam, to extend the taste of summer into the winter

Meals that prolong the barbecue spirit

Before putting the barbecue away for good, here are a few ideas for enjoying the last of the outdoor dinners:

🍔 Burgers topped with melted cheese and grilled vegetables

🍗 Marinated chicken skewers, easy to prepare ahead of time

🍣 Grilled salmon with a mango and cilantro salsa

🍕 Barbecue pizzas, an often underestimated summer classic

🌽 Corn on the cob simply wrapped in aluminum foil with butter

Frozen desserts to enjoy the last of the heat

Nothing says "summer" like a frozen dessert, and it's not too late to enjoy one last time:

🍦 Homemade ice cream, even without a machine, using the ziploc bag method for kids

🍧 Homemade fresh fruit popsicles, a great way to use up leftover fruit

🥭 Mango sorbet, ready in minutes with a blender

🍰 Peach upside-down cake, served still warm with a scoop of ice cream

Involving the kids in the kitchen

The last few days of summer are also a great opportunity to involve children in the kitchen before the school rhythm truly picks back up. Let them choose a fruit or vegetable at the market, have them help with the washing and preparation, or even entrust them with the final presentation of a dish. These little culinary moments often become lasting memories, much more than the recipe itself.

These last few weeks of summer deserve to be savored, at the table and beyond. Take advantage of the produce that is still abundant, fire up the barbecue one last time, and let these simple recipes extend the sweetness of the season a little longer before autumn sets in! 🍑☀️