A big refreshing bowl of salad is a great dinner in the heat of summer. Too veggie, you say? No worries, there is a happy, meaty answer to that: bacon ends. Yep, contemplate that. I did my own contemplating when I spied a bag of bacon ends for the first time at the farmers' market and had to examine them. The bag was hefty, lumpy and thick with triangular hunks of bacon jumbled in vacuum-packed togetherness. It was bacon indeed, but not the neatly fanned slices I usually buy in the deli department.

After asking a few questions, I learned that when those tidy pre-sliced bacon packages are created, all of the irregular hunks and ends are discarded in order to produce supermarket-packaged perfection. I knew I was onto something revelatory, so I snagged a package. Now I am here to tell you that you want those ends. They are veritable chunks of heaven for bacon lovers, evoking salty pork-induced delirium.

I find the best way to cook bacon ends is in the oven or on a grill. While the ends cook, their fat renders, leaving behind crispy chunks of meaty bacon you can sink your teeth into. Honestly, they are addictively good. The danger is gobbling them all up in one go (not recommended, by the way -- just saying).

So try to exert some restraint (after taste-testing a few pieces, of course, as any cook should), and add them to salads, pasta, eggs -- wherever you want your bacon. I like the salad option, as the fresh vegetables and leafy lettuce nicely balance out the hunks of salty meat. I call it a deconstructed BLT in a bowl and toss it with homemade croutons that are brushed with the rendered bacon fat and toasted on the grill. Got your attention, right?

As for finding these ends, ask your butcher or the nice people in your supermarket's meat department if they have a stash. You can be sure they know exactly what you are asking about -- they just might not want to share.

BLT Salad With Bacon Ends and Avocado

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Grilling Time: 30 minutes

Yield: serves 4 as a main course salad

1 1/2 to 2 pounds bacon ends, excess fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups coarsely torn bite-size pieces of country or sourdough bread

Dressing:

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

1 large head lettuce, leaves washed and torn into bite-size pieces

4 small vine ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges

Corn kernels cut from one ear of corn

1 large Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Prepare the grill for indirect medium heat (about 400 degrees for a gas grill). Trim any excess fat from the bacon ends. Cut the ends into 1-inch chunks and arrange on a grill rack (or grate) set over a grill pan to capture the rendered fat. Grill until the fat is rendered and the ends are crispy and golden, about 25 minutes. (You can do this in the oven with a broiler pan, if you like.) Transfer the ends to a plate.

Toss the bread in the rendered fat. Spread the bread on a grill pan or the grates and grill until golden and crisp, turning as needed, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.

Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly to emulsify.

Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the bacon, half the croutons and dressing to your taste and toss to combine. Garnish with the remaining croutons and serve with any remaining dressing.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood.

Blueberries are a summer treat. Inky blue, sweet and juicy, they are a healthy snack you can pop in your mouth, fold into yogurt and bake into desserts. I grew up in New England and lived for many years in Scandinavia, where blueberries grew wild in our garden and forest. We would forage for hours, searching for the little berries hiding in the shrubs, passing up the little clusters of unripe lilac-green berries, and plucking the midnight blues. You had to work hard to harvest a significant amount, and it was likely hopeless, since half of the harvest would be devoured on the spot.

Wild blueberries are smaller than their cultivated, or high bush, cousins, but their size yields a whopping amount of flavor and a feisty snap when your teeth break through their skin. Now, years later, I live in California, where I rely on my local farmers' market to deliver punnets of farmed blueberries, helpfully arranged in neat rows on the market tables, no picking required. These berries are larger, plumper, more sweet and less tart than their hardy wild cousins, but equally delicious and healthy. I often buy a double amount, because I know from experience that I will devour at least half of them on my way home.

I made these gorgeous tartlets with the few berries I managed to salvage from my last market trip. The luscious filling is 100 percent yogurt, not cream cheese or sour cream, so you can almost say they are healthy. I use whole milk Greek yogurt, which is naturally thick and creamy, with a slight tang that perfectly offsets the mellow sweetness of the cultivated blueberries. As for the crust, it's a traditional graham cracker crust, which, admittedly, has sugar and butter (as any self-respecting graham cracker crust should). So these tarts are rich yet light, and just a little bit wicked, which is OK if you ask me. It's a dessert after all, and we all deserve to be a little wicked.

If you prefer, you can make one large 9-inch tart, but I recommend the individual tartlets, which are fun to present.

Blueberry Tartlets With Yogurt and Lemon

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes

Yield: makes 6 (3-inch) tartlets. (If you prefer, you can make one large 9-inch tart, but I recommend the individual tartlets, which are fun to present.)

Crust:

5 ounces graham crackers, finely ground, about 1 1/4 cups

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt

1/4 cup runny honey or sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus extra for garnish

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups blueberries

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the graham crackers, butter, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and mix until combined and sticky. Spoon 3 tablespoons crumbs into 1 ramekin or mini-tart shell and press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides; place on a baking tray. Repeat with the remaining ramekins.

Bake the shells until the crusts begin to turn golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a rack.

While the crusts are cooling, whisk the yogurt, honey, lemon juice, zest and vanilla in a bowl.

Spoon the yogurt into the cooled crusts, smoothing the tops. Dot the yogurt with blueberries and garnish with lemon zest. If you have any remaining crumbs of crust, you can sprinkle a few pinches over each tartlet if desired. Refrigerate the tartlets until serving, up to 4 hours.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood.

It's grilling season, and everyone should have a no-fail marinade to rely on to carry them through the summer. It should be something simple and versatile, easy to whip up within minutes with just a handful of ingredients, and flexible enough that you can use it on all your favorite grillables, including meat, fish and vegetables.

The key ingredient in this essential marinade is Sriracha sauce, a Thai chili sauce with a touch of garlic and sugar that balances its fiery heat. I made this marinade recently when I grilled up a mess o' shrimp, and they disappeared before you could say, "Pass the Sriracha."

All that I could think about was how good this marinade tasted -- spicy, sweet and sharp without being overpowering. So, the next day I made another batch and used it to flavor these chicken skewers for a simple grilled dinner. It did not disappoint.

It's clear that this marinade is now a keeper, guaranteed to enhance whatever it coats, adding flavor while letting the protein or vegetable shine through. Go ahead and give it a try on your favorite meats, like chicken, steak or pork, or firm-fleshed fish, like swordfish, halibut and salmon. It's also a great basting sauce for grill-friendly veggies, like portobello mushrooms, zucchini and asparagus.

Just like a good friend, this marinade won't let you down.

Grilled Chicken Skewers With Sriracha-Lime Marinade

Prep time: 20 minutes

Marinating time: 4 to 6 hours

Grilling time: 8 to 10 minutes

Yield: makes 4 servings (makes about 3/4 cup marinade)

For the marinade:

1/4 cup lime juice

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons Sriracha

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

For the chicken:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium red bell peppers, stemmed and seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Special equipment: Bamboo skewers, presoaked in water for 30 minutes

Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to thoroughly coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.

Thread the chicken pieces on skewers, alternating with the pepper and onion pieces. Brush the vegetables with some of the excess marinade and season the skewers with salt and pepper.

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Grill the skewers over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until well-marked and thoroughly cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, turning as needed. Serve warm.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood.