I want a quick, no-cook summer menu!

How to make a quick summer menu without cooking?

The fresh products

In the summer, fruits and vegetables take center stage. Vitamins, deliciousness, colors, they have it all. In addition, as it is normally hot – yes we know, the weather in summer is not what it used to be – we want freshness with products to eat raw. So, original salads, ceviches, tartars, poke bowls, are perfect dishes when you are in a hurry and/or don’t want to start cooking in the oven or in the pan.

In addition, each fruit and vegetable brings a different texture to a dish, when raw. If the apricot, peach, or nectarine becomes juicy and sweet; the pepper adds crunch; the ripe tomato has its umami flavor; the cucumber of freshness; the berries a shot of tangy; arugula has a peppery taste; watermelon its sugar, etc.

Gourmet toppings

Who says recipe without cooking, does not mean sad recipe, based on raw vegetables only! You can definitely add cheese to them, for example feta to spice up the watermelon or melon; mozza or burrata to slip into a divine caprese salad to prepare in no time; Roquefort or blue cheese to spread on good country bread and to enjoy with a sweet and sour salad; or even cubes of Emmental to garnish a well-vinegared mesclun.

Different textures

Cooking adds texture, that’s a fact. Even if you don’t do traditional cooking in a pan or in the oven, there’s nothing stopping you from toasting bread to add some crunch to a salad, for example. In the same spirit, we think of crunchy oilseeds such as almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, to slide, chopped or whole, into a dish. Seeds – squash, sunflower, flax, sesame – are also an excellent option.

The perfect summer menu

To help guide you, we have selected three recipes that are perfect for a summer menu without cooking or hassle.

As a starter, small tomato and gorgonzola-based toast are a perfect introduction. It’s crispy, tender, soft and strong at the same time, don’t throw any more away, these canapes have it all.

As a dish, a lamb tartare well seasoned – to save time, ask the butcher to chop the meat for you with a knife -, accompanied by an arugula salad garnished with blackberries and walnuts, is the perfect sweet and sour idea for a gourmet summer menu. Obviously, if you are missing one or other of the ingredients mentioned in these recipes – with the exception of the main ingredients obviously – don’t worry, cooking also means leaving the door open to improvisation. If you have everything on hand, that’s perfect, if you don’t, it doesn’t matter, far from it!

For dessert, we thought that a no-bake strawberry pie, made with mixed speculoos and butter, mascarpone whipped cream, fresh strawberries, would please you. If you are pressed for time, no worries, why not prepare just the whipped cream, add the strawberries cut in half or quarters depending on their size, and simply crumble the speculoos on top or underneath? Faster and just as delicious.