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     If there's one time of year when it's darned near impossible to wreck a meal, it has to be summer. Summer, when the overwhelming array of colorful, flavorful produce assaults your lucky senses at every turn. Summer, when the trunk of your car after a trip to the farmers' market resembles the produce row at Pikes Place Market, but a day later you're kicking yourself for not picking up "just a few more berries and cukes." Summer, when the only mistake you can make in the kitchen is to underutilize or over-cook what nature has so generously provided. Summer, when the best thing you can do is very little, short of bringing a few exquisitely-flavored fruits and vegetables together on the same platter then standing back to let the co-mingling of flavors and textures work its magic on your lucky palate.

Indeed, this is the time of year when understatement is the best statement, and wowing a hungry crowd is as easy as grilling half a big ol' Walla Walla Sweet with a zesty glob of pesto on top.

So roast those peppers, boil that corn, steam those green beans, and toss a bounty of salad greens. It's that simple. It's that good.

- SIMPLE WAYS WITH SUMMER PRODUCE

- Freeze berries in a single layer on cookie sheets until hard, then store in the freezer in reclosable bags so you have them available for your morning smoothies.

- Make berry purees by blending in a food processor (press the puree through a fine sieve to remove seeds), sweeten to taste, and freeze in ice cube trays. Berry purees are great quick sauces under a slice of pound cake, over ice cream, or alongside cobblers and crisps (swirl in a bit of heavy cream for color and contrasting flavor.

- In the morning, thinly slice a couple cucumbers and marinate with a bit of red wine vinegar (with a splash of water), and chopped green onions.

- Summer Tomato Vinaigrette - a peeled and seeded tomato enriches any of your favorite oil and vinegar dressings - even the bottled varieties. Simply puree in a blender or food processor one medium-to-large sized tomato with about 1-1/2 cups of dressing.

- Pesto tossed with or spread on anything this time of year is fabulous: Spread on halved Walla Walla Sweet onions and broil; toss with freshly-cooked pasta; combine with chunks of grilled chicken breast for a quick salad or sandwich filling; Combine with shredded cheese, then spread on a split loaf of French bread and broil.

-Combine Walla Walla Sweet Onions with cooked and sliced new potatoes, thinly sliced celery, red bell pepper rings and a bit of mayonnaise and Dijon mustard that you've thinned with

some white wine vinegar.

- For a unique finger-salad, cut fresh summer corn into 3/4-inch long rounds then cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, then toss with a bit of your favorite vinaigrette and let stand until cool. Eat with fingers!

- Lightly steamed young green beans that have been chilled then napped in a bit of vinaigrette.

Caprial’s Seasonal Salad Greens with Garlic-Cabernet Dressing

Makes 6 servings

This is an easy salad dressing. It’s also good on grilled or steamed potatoes, tossed in a warm spinach salad, or drizzled over grilled tuna. It will keep for weeks in the refrigerator.

For the dressing:

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup Cabernet vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

1 head garlic, roasted and squeezed out of papery skin (see note below)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the salad:

Baby greens, or assortment of fresh lettuces (such as butter and red leaf, and radicchio)

1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 tomato, cut into chunks

1 bunch of radishes, sliced

1 Walla Walla Sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced

To prepare the dressing, place the chopped garlic, shallots, Dijon mustard, vinegar, roasted garlic and rosemary in a small bowl and whisk together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use (this dressing will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator).

To prepare the salad, place all of the salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add some of the dressing and toss well to evenly coat the ingredients. Serve immediately.

Recipe from "Caprial’s Bistro-Style Cuisine," by Caprial Pence.

Three-Cheese Tart With Baby Greens Dressed in Pear Vinaigrette

The foundation for this savory tart is blue cheese. It’s truly an amazing balance of flavors. Make sure that you’ve got a ripened pear on hand for the vinaigrette

makes one 8-inch x 4-inch high cake (enough for 16 slender slices)

Parmesan crust (recipe follows)

1 pound good quality blue cheese, at room temperature

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

4 eggs

1 clove garlic, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Baby greens

Pear Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Toasted hazelnuts

Prepare Parmesan crust.

In mixing bowl combine the blue cheese and cream cheese and mix until smooth. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper and combine well. Scrape the mixture into the pan with the prepared Parmesan Crust, leaving about 1-inch of crust showing. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cake is golden brown and not loose in the center. Remove from heat to cool, then refrigerate up to 24 hours.

To serve, toss the baby greens with enough Pear Vinaigrette to generously coat the leaves. Arrange a serving of the greens on individual salad plates. Arrange a slice of the tart on top (or to the side), then garnish with toasted hazelnuts if desired and drizzle a few drops of the vinaigrette around the plate edge of each salad.

PARMESAN CRUST: You will need an 8- or 10-inch springform pan (if unavailable, use 2 8-inch pie pans and freeze one of the crusts for later). Combine 2 cups flour, 1-1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese in the workbowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to mix. Add 1/3 cup chilled Crisco shortening, and 1/3 cup chilled unsalted butter (cut into 16 pieces), and pulse several more times until the shortening and butter are cut into the dough and the dough resembles coars cornmeal. Drizzle in 8 tablespoons chilled water (have a total of 10 tablespoons chilled water available in case you need to add more), pulsing constantly so that the water gets evenly mixed through the dough to form a firm mass (there may be a few dry spots, which you can gather up when you remove the dough from the workbowl). Add additional water if needed to form a dough that isn't too moist.

Remove the dough to a floured surface and gather/roll it into a ball; wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 15 to 30 minutes (the dough can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 6 months)

Let the dough come to just above room temperature (so that it's easy to roll out). On a well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a circle wide enough to cover the bottom and reach about half or two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pan. You can "press and patch" the dough where necessary - the dough is very forgiving. Refrigerate the crust or proceed with recipe.

PEAR VINAIGRETTE:

Makes 2 generous cups

2 (at least 4 ounce) firm-ripe pears, peeled and coarsely cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

2/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup minced shallots

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon freshkly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons soy sauce

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon green onion

1 cup vegetable oil (a mixture such as 1/2 cup each of extra-virgin olive oil and canola)

Combine the pear, vinegar, shallots, sugar, rosemary and black pepper in a skillet and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the pears are tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the mustard, soy sauce, salt and green onions and puree. Scrape the mixture into a container, then whisk in the oils. Vinaigrette may be prepared up to 1 week ahead and refrigerated.

Sweet Onion and Tomato Salad

As soon as the season's fresh, young plants of basil are beginning to yield an adequate supply of flavorful leaves, it's time to make the pesto. Once you've accomplished this, the following salad can be assembled at a moment's notice ... using only the freshest of Summer tomatoes, of course, and the freshest and crunchiest of sweet onions.

1 pound (about 1 large or 2 medium-sized) fresh Walla Walla sweet onions

Pesto Dressing (recipe follows)

1 large (about 3/4 pound) firm-ripe tomato, cored and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices

Fresh basil sprigs for garnish, if desired

Salt and pepper

Cut the onions crosswise into thin slices and separate rings into a bowl. Pour the dressing over the onions and gently mix. On 3 or 4 dinner or salad plates, arrange equal portions of the tomato. Top with equal portions of the onions and dressing. Garnish with basil sprigs, if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste. Yields 4 servings.

Pesto Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and 2 tablespoons pesto (either homemade or commercially prepared).

Salad of Walla Walla Sweet Onions and Cucumbers with Sour cream

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large Walla Walla Sweet onion, peeled, halved lengthwise through the root end, then thinly sliced into half-rings

1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. In a salad bowl, combine the onion and cucumber with the sour cream dressing. Toss well, then refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving (may be made up to 3 days ahead). Yields 4 servings.

James Beard’s Blueberry Cake

Makes one 8-inch square cake (8 servings)

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1-1/3 cups blueberries

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toasted hazelnuts

Slightly sweetened freshly whipped cream (optional: whisk in a splash of sherry or rum)

Additional blueberries for garnish

In a mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is very light. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition. Beat in the buttermilk.

Remove 1/4 cup of the sifted flour from the 2 cups of sifted flour and mix the 1/4 cup with the blueberries; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1-3/4 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Fold in the vanilla and floured blueberries. Pour the batter into a buttered and floured 8-inch square baking tin. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 34 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is nicely browned, or when a tester comes out clean.

To serve, stir hazelnuts into the slightly sweetened whipped cream (this can be done ahead). Place each serving of cake on a dessert plate. Top with the whipped cream-hazelnut mixture and garnish with berries.

Recipe adapted from "Wildwood, Cooking From The Source in the Pacific Northwest," By Cory Schreiber.