When the weather is hot and shouty, then why not shout back with skewers of fiery meat? These steak skewers are not only cooked over a flame, they are also bathed in a heady lime and garlic marinade that tenderizes and infuses the meat with bold flavor and kicking spice.

But don't stop there: Raise the flavor-and-heat bar further by serving the skewers with a feisty sauce inspired by Zhoug, a condiment hailing from the Middle East. It's a heat-spiked herbaceous blend that's a cross between chimichurri and harissa -- arguably, a match made in heaven. You can keep the steaks in large cuts, or, better yet, slice them into strips and thread the pieces on skewers for fun party food. Serve the sauce on the side, so the meat can be gingerly dabbed or generously swiped -- leave it up to your guests' heat threshold to dictate the amount.

Skirt steak, flank steak or hanger steak may be used for this recipe. Each of these cuts of meat love a marinade, which helps to tenderize their natural toughness. When cutting the meat into strips, be sure to cut across the grain (the way that the muscle fibers are aligned). By doing this, you will cut up the muscle fibers, which would otherwise increase chewiness. Grill the meat quickly over direct high heat for best results.

Grilled Skirt Steak Skewers With Green Chili Sauce

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes, plus 4 to 6 hours marinating time

Yield: serves 4 to 6 as a main course

Marinade:

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon Sriracha

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds skirt steak, cut against the grain in 1-inch strips

Sauce:

1 large poblano pepper, stemmed, coarsely chopped

1 large jalapeno pepper, stemmed, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves

1 cup (packed) cilantro sprigs

1 cup (packed) parsley sprigs

1/2 cup (packed) mint leaves

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk all of the marinade ingredients except the steak in a small bowl. Place the steak strips in a wide bowl. Pour the marinade over and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate the steak for 4 to 6 hours, stirring the marinade once or twice.

Make the sauce: Place the peppers and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the cilantro, parsley, mint, lime juice, cumin and salt and process to blend. With the machine running, add the oil and continue to process until the sauce has a thick salsa consistency. If it's too thick, add additional oil to achieve the desired consistency.

Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling. Thread the meat on pre-soaked bamboo skewers and discard the marinade.

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat. Grill the skewers over direct heat until charred and cooked to your desired doneness, 5 to 8 minutes for medium-rare, depending on the thickness of the meat. Serve with the sauce.

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Late summer reaps bushels of peppers in a kaleidoscope of colors and a crooked assortment of wiggly shapes. I shop with my eyes, because the first thing I do when I get home is pile my peppers into a bowl, where they do double-duty as a decorative centerpiece on the kitchen table before they are transformed into a meal. Gnarly Jimmy Nardellos, pristine cherries, waxen poblanos and pert jalapenos vie for my attention, and I slowly pick away at my psychedelic pile of peppers as I cook throughout the week, adding them to salads, stews, pasta and pizzas.

This simple recipe showcases a colorful assortment of peppers on crostini and makes a great starter to a meal or an appetizer for a grill party. I like to use a mix of sweet and hot peppers for more a complex flavor and a nudge of heat. When you are using hot peppers, such as poblanos, serranos and jalapenos, remember that they can vary in heat, so take a small bite to test their strength. The heat is concentrated in the ribs and seeds of the pepper, so remove as much as desired with kitchen gloves or the tip of a paring knife to protect your fingers from the oils. In this recipe I used poblanos, Hungarian pimentos and gypsy peppers.

Hot and Sweet Pepper Medley Crostini

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Yield: Makes 8 crostini

Crostini:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

Pinch of salt

8 slices baguette, cut on the diagonal, about 1/2-inch thick

Topping:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish

3/4 pound mixed sweet and hot peppers, stemmed and seeded, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for garnish

8 ounces buffalo mozzarella, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Make the crostini: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the oil, garlic and salt in a small bowl. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and lightly brush each side with the oil. Transfer to the oven and bake until the bread is lightly toasted, 12 to 15 minutes, turning once. Remove the bread from the oven.

Prepare the topping: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the peppers and saute until crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, salt and black pepper and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven broiler.

Arrange the mozzarella slices over each crostino. Top each crostino with some of the peppers. Transfer to the top rack in the oven and broil until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute. Remove and garnish with fresh basil and a drizzle of oil. Serve immediately.

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If you're like me, it's impossible to resist the baskets of fresh summer berries at the farmers market. If you have more restraint than me, and you haven't gobbled up your berries yet, here's a great way to add them to a dessert. Clafoutis (clah-FOO-tee) is a French flanlike dessert. It's light, elegant and studded with fruit baked in lightly sweetened egg batter. It's also a perfect recipe for lazy cooks because it can be whipped up with little effort in less than an hour with a simple list of ingredients.

So when berries are in season (like now!) I load up on blueberries, blackberries and raspberries at my farmers market and head home with my stash. Naturally, a good amount is devoured on the spot and during the car ride home, but I always make sure there is enough left over to make a clafoutis.

You can get creative with how you present the dish. It can be baked in a tart or shallow gratin dish, as well as individual ramekins or mini cast-iron skillets, which are a fun way to serve dessert for a dinner party. If you are feeling extra festive, you can even prepare little tastes in Asian soup spoons for a dessert-inspired party bite.

The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the vessel you use, so simply bake the clafoutis until the top is tinged golden and the custard is set. This can take up to 45 minutes for a tart, 25 minutes for ramekins or about 12 minutes for little (ovenproof) serving spoons. And feel free to mix and match your berries. This recipe uses a combination of blueberries and blackberries. Raspberries and cherries are also delicious.

Black and Blueberry Clafoutis

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 40 to 55 minutes

Yield: Makes 6 (6-ounce) or 1 (10-inch) clafoutis

Unsalted softened butter for greasing the pans

1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup sugar

6 ounces fresh blueberries

6 ounces fresh blackberries

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 cups half-and-half

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus extra for garnish

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 6 (6-ounce) shallow ramekins or 1 (10-inch) ceramic tart pan. Sprinkle the ramekins with 1 tablespoon sugar and tap out any excess. Place the ramekins on a baking tray. Arrange the berries in one layer in the ramekins.

Beat the eggs and 1/3 cup sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the half-and-half, flour, lemon zest, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt until just combined.

Pour the mixture over the fruit. Transfer the clafoutis to the oven and bake until the top is tinged golden-brown and the custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes for the ramekins (or 40 to 45 minutes for the tart pan). Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

Before serving, sprinkle the clafoutis with powdered sugar and garnish with additional lemon zest. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

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