The Soft Launch of Summer
Layered jackets, sweet strawberries, and the slow unfurling of June
Last weekend, my hometown had its first triple-digit stretch of the season while I was layering a flannel jacket over top of a linen long sleeve trying to flirt with summer, but still asking, is this warm enough? Every June, as the rest of the country buckles up for heat waves, vows to an oven-free summer, and fills my feed with summer propaganda like beach picnics and icy drinks, San Francisco does what it does best and tiptoes into the season like she’s not quite ready to commit. Fog curls around the city and demands you pair a blanket with that Aperol spritz.
Our markets are starting to fill with the flavors of summer though: stone fruit, English peas, early tomatoes, and strawberries so sweet they taste like nature’s candy. But eating seasonally here requires a little creativity as we still want the tomato girl summer aesthetic, but the city says it’s soup season. So we tuck summer’s best offerings into cozy corners. Berries get folded into scones or piled on just-baked biscuits, tomatoes are tucked into silky soups, warm toasts, and luxurious pasta. Summer barbecue cravings are softened by charring corn and crisping hot dogs in a cast iron skillet then watching the sunset from the couch with a bowl of chips and Summer House on to really evoke the season.
Still, I’m chasing the sun and dreaming of summers with the rest of you and your sun-drenched shoulders, sticky fruit, and warm nights that don’t ask for layers. Often, I head out to the valley or wine country just to remember what real heat feels like, only to find myself immediately drenched in sweat, blasting the A.C., and asking my husband, how did we ever survive Sacramento summers?
And when a sunny SF day finally lands on a weekend, you can find all of San Francisco spread out across Golden Gate Park, tanning at Dolores, or playing at Ocean Beach (but be so for real, no one is getting into that 50 degree water). But that’s not how this weekend turned out so as I dig out my fleece and plan strawberry recipes, let’s chat about this week’s bits and bites
Luxe & Laid-Back — because life is about balance
Luxe: crab rangoon dip with crispy wontons
This week, one of my favorite cocktail bars in the city had a special cocktail menu to celebrate the launch of America's Most Iconic Ice Creams, the new cookbook from Tyler Malek of Salt & Straw. The cocktail menu was a hit; the lavender gin fizz and banana rum milkshake were very good, very on theme. But, this should come as a surprise to no one, Moongate’s snack menu stole my attention. The mala fries were perfectly crispy and dusted with spicy mala powder made from numbing Szechuan peppers. And the crab rangoon dip? Actually flawless. Creamy, tangy, and decadent is exactly what to expect from a Michelin star restaurant’s bar. Will be returning asap.
Laid-Back: cultured butter, Acme sourdough, the juiciest nectarine
I was running late for work earlier this week, like really late, so I grabbed what I could for breakfast: a hunk of Acme sourdough, a smear of cold cultured butter that I barely had time to force across the crust, and a nectarine. It wasn’t until I was settled onto the freeway, the sun warming the windshield and the piece of bread in my passenger seat that I took a bite. My chaotic little breakfast felt like a moment. Bread and butter always gets the job done, but when it’s really good bread—like Acme’s chewy, tangy sourdough—and butter with that cultured, just-a-touch-fermented tang? Game over.
Have you had any bites lately that you can’t get enough of & I should try too? Tell me, share the love, expand my palette, babes!
Recipes for the seasonal in-between
Since summer doesn’t actually start for two more weeks and I’m as stubborn as the fog, spring dishes are still on the table. Literally. Plus, most of you are reading this here in SF so I know you’re craving dishes that taste like summer but will keep you cozy.
This Braised Lamb with English Pea Smash delivers on both: the peas are creamy and bright, the braised lamb and jus are rich, and the cool feta and mint? They’re here to help trick your brain into thinking it’s 75 and sunny, even from under that blanket.
Snag the full recipe here.
This Stone Fruit Salad with Whipped Lavender Ricotta is perfect for a weekend tucked inside with your favorite playlist and a bottle of wine open. It’s part salad, part dessert, and entirely a serve. Juicy peaches, nectarines, and cherries are piled onto a lavender-kissed cloud of homemade whipped ricotta. She’s creamy, dreamy, and deceptively easy (it’s just milk, lemon juice, and patience). It’s the perfect start to your next dinner party or an elevated solo date in with a bottle of something cold and pink.
Get the full recipe here.
If you’re loving this, have some thoughts, or want me to try the recipe currently on repeat in your kitchen, drop a line in the comments so your girl knows there are people on the other end or subscribe so you don’t miss the updates. Love hearing from you! See you next week—stay well fed.
xx,
Cate