Summer’s Best Cookbooks

Summer brings with it delectable produce and ideal weather for outdoor dining–and a crop of new cookbooks makes the most of both. Among the best are a comprehensive guide to barbecue, a picnicking how-to and a different kind of celebrity memoir. Read and eat up.

AUDREY AT HOME

Audrey Hepburn’s son Luca Dotti shows off his mother’s domestic side in this memoir that’s two parts narrative, one part recipes.

STUFFED TOMATOES

4 vine-ripe tomatoes

Salt

½ clove garlic, finely chopped

4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus

more for baking

4 tsp. finely chopped basil leaves

4 tsp. finely chopped parsley

leaves

½ cup rice (the Vialone Nano

variety is best)

Freshly ground black pepper

6 russet potatoes (about 2½ lb.),

peeled and cut into wedges

1. Cut off the caps of the tomatoes and save the “hats” for later. Scoop out the tomatoes, reserving the pulp. Lightly salt the inside and place them on a rack to drain, cut side down. Combine the pulp with the garlic, 2 tbsp. olive oil, the basil and the parsley in a large bowl. Cook the rice in abundant boiling, salted water and drain it when it is still al dente. Add the rice to the pulp mixture, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

3. Stuff the tomatoes with the rice–tomato pulp mixture. Carefully place the stuffed tomatoes in a baking dish, accompanied by the potato wedges. Drizzle the tomatoes and potatoes with oil. Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour. Cool before serving.

VAN LEEUWEN ARTISAN ICE CREAM

The owners of the New York shop of the same name share their secrets for frozen delights.

CANTALOUPE SORBET

1 2-lb. cantaloupe

½ cup sugar

1½ tsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. finely grated lime zest

Pinch of kosher salt

1. Place the cantaloupe, sugar, lime juice, lime zest and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer the sorbet base to a quart-size container, cover and refrigerate until fully cold, about 3 hours.

2. Pour the chilled sorbet base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the sorbet base in the freezer, so you can use it to store the finished sorbet. Churn the sorbet until it resembles Italian ice. Transfer the sorbet to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. The sorbet will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days.

THE HOMEMADE VEGAN PANTRY

Store-bought vegan foods are often processed to compensate for nonvegan ingredients, but as chef Miyoko Schinner argues, it’s easy to make tasty staples at home, from eggless mayo to pancake mix.

FEEDING THE FIRE

Chef Joe Carroll, who owns several Brooklyn and Philadelphia BBQ joints, brings his expertise to a grill guide that features everything from basics like pulled pork to more delicate fare like mackerel.

THE PICNIC

Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker and Jen Stevenson teach tricks for alfresco eating.

TRICOLORE CRUDITÉS

Select mouthwatering, exciting produce: Romanesco broccoli (steamed for 3 minutes, then shocked in an ice bath), breakfast radishes and sweet snap peas. Spoon into a clear jar (which will also function as your serving dish) in enticing layers of contrasting colors.