From Sweet Strawberries to the Start of Stone Fruit Season, Here Are All of The Recipes We’re Making This May

With or without the vodka, this sweet-tart drink deserves a spot at brunch.

Smoky and slightly fruity, this cocktail has loads of complexity. It’s from Karen Hatfield, chef-owner of Odys + Penelope and Sycamore Kitchen restaurants in Los Angeles.

Limonana, or mint lemonade, the national drink of Israel, gets a Western spin in Mad about Meyer Lemons by Napa author-illustrator A. Cort Sinnes.

Sebastopol, California’s Fern Bar–where this recipe comes from–is all about hyper-seasonal cocktails. Rhubarb and strawberry are a classic spring combination. The vinegar of the shrub provides a tangy contrast to the sugar and natural sweetness of the fruit.

When creating Jardesca White Aperitiva, Roger Morrison summoned essential California notes. The key ingredient in this spritz, his concoction channels citrus, along with pink peppercorn and a variety of botanicals to taste like an elevated white wine. Jardesca also offers spritzology classes to learn to make their range of refreshing cocktails.

When your garden gives you flowers and vegetables, use them both to make a salad that tastes like pure spring.

Serve an appetizer salad that’s colorful and loaded with fresh Asian flavor. You’re sure to use the homemade salad dressing recipe again and again.

Since the greens are eaten raw, be sure they’re very tender by gently massaging them. If you can’t find fava, pea shoots are a great substitution and are packed with flavor in through the season.

Use edible flowers and herbs to decorate these pretty little salads any way you like. Most farmer’s markets have tons of options of flowers to choose from, and growing your own in the Summer can be a breeze.

We could make a meal of this deliciously unexpected combination, but it’s excellent alongside a grilled steak too. Sautéing the quinoa in oil before simmering helps it come out fluffy every time.

Chef Robert Clark, co-owner of a sustainable seafood market in Vancouver called The Fish Counter, gave us this recipe. Named for the white dots on their shells, spot prawns are sweeter and more delicate than other varieties. “You won’t need to mask their flavor with cocktail sauce,” says Clark. They’re sometimes available fresh and live in season (late spring through summer), but frozen headless ones are easier to find.

The gently seasoned pickling combo brings out berries’ tart side and makes a refreshing dressing for the watercress and chicken.

Brown the pork tenderloin on all sides before baking–this gives the meat a nice sear and seals in the rich flavor. Top with apricot chutney, made from jam, rice vinegar, mustard seed, and fresh ginger.

Add steamed brown rice and simply cooked greens for a healthy supper. Parchment creates an elegant presentation and can even puff up while cooking. Thin fillets like sole cook in just 15 minutes.

Willy and Sandy Hermann, readers from Orinda, California, shared this easy one-dish meal with us. They like to use hot sausage, but mild is good too. You can use the chard stems for soup if you like.

As delicious as they are, artichokes have a compound that makes wine taste sweet. Tangy goat cheese brings both into balance. Serve the bruschetta with a Sauvignon Blanc that balances refreshing citrus acidity with some oak for richness. The recipe comes from chef and cookbook author John McReynolds of Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery in Sonoma, California. You can start with a fresh artichoke, as he does, or use frozen hearts if you’re short on time.

Sunset reader Bill Gaines invented this delicious, tangy-sweet sandwich to use the plentiful apricots from his neighbor’s tree, which hung over the property line. “He told us we could have all the fruit on our side of the fence,” Gaines explains.

Italian arancini–balls of rice (often stuffed with meat, vegetables, and/or cheese) coated with bread crumbs and fried–are a perfect party or snack food. Our staff devoured these creamy, crisp balls as soon as they were made.

This easy-to-eat appetizer borrows from Roman-style fried artichokes and adds Asian flavors. They’re a snap to whip up.

Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, chef-owners of Joule and Revel restaurants in Seattle, have taken a favorite Korean dessert—shaved ice with sweet syrup–and turned it into a ginger-flavored granita.

The rose water is subtle here, just enough to bring out the fruit’s floral quality. You’ll need popsicle molds and sticks.

When Ruth Reichl was 22–long before she became famous as a restaurant critic, magazine editor, and author–she taught cooking at a glassblowing workshop in the forests north of Seattle. The final week she was there, the wild blackberries ripened all at once, “soft, rich, and juicy,” Reichl says. She picked until her pail overflowed. Then she baked into the night. In the morning, these flaky turnovers were her parting gift to the glassblowers.

Strawberry season is a true delight. Enhance the sweet flavor of the strawberries by setting them on the grill for a few minutes with a jam glaze.

Keep an eye on the puffs as they cook, and rotate the pan if it looks like your grill has hot spots. (If a puff gets a scorched spot anyway, scrape it off with a serrated knife.)