When we turn the calendar to July, the first thing that comes to mind is cold lobster salad rolls (or hot buttered, if you're from Connecticut), followed by juicy berry pies, grilled corn on the cob, all the ice cream, and refreshing drinks (both boozy and not) for cooling off during the dog days of summer. But the 10 recipes our readers couldn't get enough of last month ran the gamut of seasonal winners like Green Tomato Crumb Cake from Rachel Rappaport and Dorie Greenspan's Blueberry-Thyme Yogurt Cake to picnic-ready sandwiches. And now that the little ones are home, two of Erin Jeanne McDowell's kid-friendly breakfast pastries also topped the list, as well as three easy shrimp recipes.
We'll do everything in our power to hold onto summer as long as possible-fortunately, these 10 recipes make it easy to do just that.
Bookmark this recipe for a rainy summer day-or, better yet, a day that's so hot, you can't imagine stepping foot outside. It's a bit of a process to make but the flavor that develops is well worth the time and effort.
Your little ones will love coming back from summer camp with homemade toaster strudels inspired by the freezer fave.
This simple preparation of swordfish and greens is an instant winner for summer dinners.
Another sweet twist on the classic frozen pastry, instead of a fruit jam filling, these are made with a chocolate-hazelnut spread.
It's peak tomato season, but we're going beyond the usual (think: Panzanella salads and gazpacho) with this green tomato-studded cake. "While developing this recipe, I found that when baked, green tomatoes are surprisingly similar to apples," explains recipe developer Rachel Rappaport. "They have a firm, sweet-tart flesh, and cube up nicely to toss into batters."
Instead of disguising the flavor and texture of superior jumbo shrimp with tons of mayo, this recipe amps up the shellfish with a combination of herbs (dill, bay leaves, lemon peels, parsley stems, and peppercorns).
When we turned to our readers to submit their favorite sandwich recipes for summer, this one took the cake (err, bread) not once, but twice. First, it was voted our readers' favorite "dish disguised as a sandwich" and now, it's become one of our most popular recipes of July.
Everything that Marissa Mullen-aka That Cheese Plate-touches turns to gold which, in this case, means juicy peaches and tomatoes that top a few perfect slices of ricotta toast.
Inspired by a classic bento box, this sandwich combines everything you love about an egg and cheese sandwich with Sriracha and Kewpie mayonnaise. And if you don't have Sriracha in your pantry, we've got a recipe for a homemade version.
No surprises here-our most popular recipe in July by a mile was this seasonally appropriate cake from none other than superstar baker and cookbook author Dorie Greenspan. Her recipes-like her infamous World Peace Cookies and these [Caramel Crunch-Chocolate Chunklet Cookies]-are repeatedly some of the most popular recipes on Food52.