father's day
plus: the very best summer steak dinner
Monday, June 15, 2026
Good morning!
Fruit Is Too Sweet [The Atlantic, gift link]
One theory on why we love home-cooked meals [Tasting Table]
When Memorial Day weekend is as cold and rainy as ours was this year, I consider Father’s Day weekend the true kickoff to grilling and all the backyard, terrace, fire escape, and roof deck entertaining I want my summer to be packed with. This weekend’s predicted weather understands the assignment.
I’m impossibly excited about the recipes I’m sharing today. As far as I see it, we have only a few jacket-free, peak-growing-season, truly outdoor months each year in the Northeast, and the best way to soak up the most joy from them is to live and eat deeply in the moment—tomatoes, corn, berries, cold salads, and grilling everything we can. I hope you’re inspired. I hope you get to share them with your favorite people.
Cheers,
Deb
I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.
grilled shrimp cocktail
My husband’s favorite dish (we just ignore him if he says steak or a martini, we know the truth) cooked the very best way. Is this brunch food? Afternoon food? A cocktail party standard? Around here, always.
napa cabbage wedge with miso dressing
A crunchy, vibrant, and wildly delicious Napa cabbage wedge-style salad with an unforgettable miso dressing, crispy shallots and radishes. You should just go ahead and double everything because I don’t think you’ll want to just eat this once.
grilled pepper and torn mozzarella panzanella
This is one of my favorite summer dishes, ever, cooked almost entirely on the grill (or under the broiler, if you’re grill-less). I could eat it every day. If you do not fall in love, I promise to come and rid you of your leftovers, deal?
dilled potato and pickled cucumber salad
This is my family’s favorite potato salad, one that’s as populated with vegetables — crunchy, delicious ones, like radishes and lightly pickled cucumbers — as it is with potatoes, so it feels like something you might eat with dinner in warmer weather, and not only as a bbq side.
garlic-mustard glazed skewers
A complex marinade from simple ingredients that takes no time and little forethought to make and brush on skewers of whatever you like to grill. Yes, please.
summer steak with corn and tomatoes
This is my go-to summer steak and it’s got everything that matters: ease, bright seasonal vegetables, and just enough tips to make sure you nail it every time. Plus, a menu suggestion! You’ve got it from here, promise. [Video below!]
grilled pizza
Grilled pizza tastes incredible -- better texture, charred spots reminiscent of the best brick-oven stuff -- and once your dough is prepared or purchased, can be heading for your belly in 10 minutes, leaving you more time to sit outside with ice clinking in your glass, enjoying a summer weekend.
easy drop berry shortcakes
A tall, craggy, crunchy-edged shortcake that’s a cinch to make, requiring no rolling pins, round cutters, unusual ingredients, or more pressingly, advanced planning to put together. Just add berries and cream.
s'more pie
An overhaul of a 2008 s’more pie with everything that matters: buttery graham crust, rich chocolate filling, and a mountain of toasted marshmallow, now more doable than ever. The result is luxe and decadent, a total showstopper.
bourbon peach smash
A very summery muddle of macerated peaches, their syrup, mint, bourbon, and a little splash of ginger beer that is so unforgettably complex and delicious, it deserves to be a rest-of-summer habit. (Plus a simple tweak to make it alcohol-free.)
summer steak with corn and tomatoes
The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is a lower-walled enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. It’s the ideal size and usability (dishwasher safe!) for everyday cooking. Not a week has gone by in the 14 years I’ve had mine when I don’t cook in it at least three times, so when it was no longer sold in U.S. stores, I asked Staub — a French cast-iron manufacturer originally from Alsace; you can watch me tour the forge/factory here! — if they would partner with me to bring it back, because I knew you’ll fall in love with the pan too. We launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser in spring 2024. The Braiser is now sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma and available in eight gorgeous new colors! The newest two — a classy off-white (pardon, French Crème) and a soft pink (Pink Peony, which you know I sing to the tune of Pink Peony Club) — launched just last month.
Cranberry (bright red)
Grenadine (deep red)
Sage (light green)
Basil (dark green)
La Mer (dark blue-green)
Sapphire (dark blue)
(New!) French Crème (off-white) ✨
(New!) Pink Peony (soft pink) ✨
The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser Recipe Starter Pack: Oh, you did get a new braiser? I’m so happy for you. Here are a few recipes you can kick off your cooking with!
Braiser: An entire category of recipes on smittenkitchen.com
My “I Dream Of Paris” Menu for the French Crème launch: Dijon Roast Chicken, French Onion Soup for a Crowd, and a Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin
Baked Ziti with Meatballs and Ricotta (Williams-Sonoma, Video)
Apple Butterscotch Crisp (Zwilling, Video)
Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Burrata (Zwilling)
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. This isn’t just an Amazon storefront. For each item, I attempt to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
See you next week!
