Radio Kitchen

You don't have to look far at your favorite farmers market to find delicious fruit these days. Apples, peaches, pears and plums are all around us. However in coming weeks, if you look a little closer you may just spot a few less conventional items.

Since we don't eat steak all that often, it makes sense to splurge and get the best cuts all the time. Dry aged steak is expensive, but the difference in flavor and aroma makes it something of an irresistible choice.

Given the sheer abundance of fruit available to us now, it is natural to think about making some pies. As tempting an idea as this is, I used to be put off by the seeming complexity and futility of making a good pie crust. But not any more. Having learned a few crucial secrets, I am now qualified to turn out a lovely flakey crust just about every time.

In our house, it's already started: the annual feast of the tomato sandwich. It may be simple eating, but it sure is good. What this means is that tomatoes are in abundance and the time is ripe to get creative with them.

If you have a hankering to make a perfect brownie, rejoice, because Chef Jerry Pellegrino has a few tips. These are basic concepts, to be sure, but if you fail to follow them your brownies will not be all that they can be.

Many of the dishes I encounter at restaurants or at dinners with friends are outstanding culinary accomplishments. I can easily imagine lengthy recipes and mounds of ingredients. But lately some of the best things I've eaten are incredibly simple and incredibly good. You don't always have to be fancy to score a home run.

Wondering what to do with the summer's bounty of fruit and vegetables? Can them.

If you haven't tried Brussels sprouts since you were a kid, you might want to change that.

Some tips for the culinary science of baking.