Menu No 12: Summer 2025 : Soft Cheese, Herbs, Marine, Vinegar
By Brian Voll
2025
Menus is a series of, well, menus. Each contains a set of recipes for a multi-course dinner, well suited for a little dinner party. And with a plan to boot!
Menu No 12 celebrates the power of randomness and the joy of cooking with intention. Built around summer's most versatile ingredient—watermelon—this collection demonstrates how a single star can shine across multiple dishes while creating a cohesive, waste-conscious menu that feels spontaneous and alive.
The watermelon alone transforms into a refreshing Watermelon Margarita, a creative Watermelon Rind Relish, and a vibrant Watermelon and Tomato Salad. Paired with grilled dishes and finished with a Peach and Wine Sorbet, this menu captures everything that makes summer entertaining special: bright flavors, easy techniques, and the satisfaction of using ingredients to their fullest.
Perfect for cooks who value spontaneity and sustainability in equal measure, Menu No 12 offers an antidote to algorithm-driven meal planning. This is summer cooking that celebrates the unexpected and invites you to embrace the joy of creative, intentional food.
Each menu includes coordinated recipes designed to use ingredients thoughtfully across the entire dinner party — less waste, more flavor. Complete with planning notes and grocery lists.
Flavor Profile
Duck | Orange | Cinnamon | Beets | Apple | Lime
Dinner Party
Tequila & Cilantro | Shredded Beet Salad | Sauteed Beet Greens | Tacos de Carnitas de Pato | Ensalada de Nopales | Tourtiere Landaise
Tags: $25 or less, Books, entertaining, ingredients, key ingredients, Magazines, Magazines & Merchandise, menus, outdoors, seasonal, summer, sustainability, was-preorder
