These were just fine and very easy. Exceptionally pretty presentation when you use a variety of cherry tomatoes in different colors.

They are meant to be a side dish but I think either Mark Bittman's tomato cobbler or Smitten Kitchen's scalloped tomatoes are a more interesting side.

I think these would be excellent however tossed with some pasta and mozzarella ... a very nice and quick summer dinner.

My all-time favorite summer dessert. Ina credits Mario Batali as the source of this recipe and she is certainly taking inspiration from the right direction.

This is incredibly simple -- it is basically heavy cream/yogurt jello sweetened with sugar and enriched with both vanilla extract and a vanilla bean. It looks beautiful for summer entertaining when surrounded by the Balsamic strawberries and topped with a little orange zest. It would also be delicious served in a puddle of fresh blackberry sauce and topped with a bit of lemon zest or a dollop of lemon curd.

It is very rich so I use my smallest (4 oz.) ramekins.

I didn't follow this recipe as written since I was in a hurry and made the executive decision to used roasted red peppers from a jar. No matter -- still delicious. The tang of goat cheese with the peppers and fresh basil is just delicious. This is a handsome-looking sandwich as well -- the colors of summer.

The recipe calls for the addition of capers to the vinaigrette the peppers marinate in -- I love 'em but have family members who don't and I don't think it hurts the recipe any to leave them out.

Although I gave this salad a 4, my husband insists it is a 5 and he may be right. I am not much of a raspberry fan (pretty as they are in this salad) and that may have affected my review.

There is a lot to like about this salad. Very easy to do. Duck and oranges -- a classic combination. The toasted pecans add a nice crunch (and I think Smitten Kitchen's candied pecans might be good here too). For me the raspberries added more color than flavor; next time I might try blackberries instead since I prefer them.

The sherry vinaigrette with orange zest worked very well. The recipe called for a mix of baby lettuces and endive. I mixed a bit of mesclun, some frisee, a small romaine heart and one endive and was very happy with the result. We found that one duck breast was enough for two salads.

Finally -- I loved the method of cooking the duck breast -- on a sheet pan skin side up in a 425 oven for 20 minutes. No need to score the skin -- just salt it and in oven it goes. I worried about duck fat spattering the interior of the oven -- but no. No spatter, no smoke, but a really nice aroma coming from the oven. You take it out, cover tightly with foil for 10-15 minutes and then remove the skin and slice the medium-rare duck into slim slices for the salad.