Savoring Summer: Elevate Your Restaurant Menu with Seasonal Ingredients

With summer’s harvest at its peak across America, shining a spotlight on seasonal ingredients can elevate your restaurant's menu and attract more customers.

Savoring the bounty of the season not only enhances the appeal of your dishes but also supports local farmers and appeals to health-conscious guests. To make the most of summer ingredients and elevate your restaurant menu, we’ve put together these tips to get you started. 

Create Seasonal Specials

Summer offers a kaleidoscope of  fruits and vegetables at their peak of freshness and flavor. Offer a rotating selection of summer specials that showcase the best produce of the season with these colorful dishes. 

Sweet Corn Salsa

Ingredients:

• Fresh sweet corn, cooked and kernels removed
  

• Cherry tomatoes, halved

• Red onion, finely diced

• Fresh cilantro, chopped

• Lime juice

• Jalapeño, minced (optional)

• Salt

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine corn kernels, avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro.

2. Add lime juice and jalapeño (if using).

3. Season with salt to taste.

4. Toss gently to combine.

5. Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for grilled fish or chicken.

Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles) with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• Zucchini, spiralized into noodles

• Cherry tomatoes, halved

• Fresh basil leaves

• Pine nuts

• Parmesan cheese, grated

• Garlic, minced

• Olive oil

• Lemon juice

• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, combine basil leaves, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth to make the pesto.

2. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini noodles with the pesto until well coated.

3. Add the cherry tomatoes and toss gently.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve immediately, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
   

Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad

Ingredients:

• Heirloom tomatoes, assorted colors, sliced

• Burrata cheese

• Fresh basil leaves

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Balsamic glaze

• Sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Arrange the sliced heirloom tomatoes on a serving platter.

2. Tear the burrata cheese into pieces and place on top of the tomatoes.

3. Scatter fresh basil leaves over the salad.

4. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze.

5. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Serve immediately.

Host Seasonal Events

Celebrate summer produce by hosting seasonally-relevant events, such as:

Interactive Dining Experiences: Add interactive experiences to your summer menu such as build-your-own salad or taco bars using seasonal ingredients.

Farm-to-Table Dinners: Partner with local farmers to create a multi-course meal featuring their produce.

Master Cooking Classes: To boost customer engagement, hold classes that teach customers how to prepare dishes using fresh summer produce.

Small Plate Tastings: : Offer small plate tasting events that highlight different seasonal ingredients. 

Find Beauty in Ugly Produce

Misshapen, bruised, and oddly colored fruit and vegetables are known to turn many consumers off, leading to enormous food waste and  lost profits for businesses.  

Deformed potatoes, overripe tomatoes, lopsided red bell peppers, and gnarly carrots; perfectly edible produce that just doesn’t meet the physical standards demanded by most Americans.

But these imperfect veggies and fruits, once deemed “no good” are now turning from trash into restaurant treasure. A revolution of sorts,  as awareness has been building,  “ugly” produce is taking on a beautiful appeal in restaurant kitchens. 

Savvy chefs have long found creative ways to integrate #2 produce into their menus. Creating soups, juices, stews, and sauces with cast-offs and scraps has always been a common way to salvage otherwise unusable produce.  And imperfect looking specimens are often actually better for recipe purposes than the premium alternative. In peak season, for example, many tomatoes don’t make it to market because they’ve  over ripened. But overripe can also mean they’re bursting with juice and flavor–the perfect ingredient for sauces. 

Give These “Ugly” Recipes a Try

Broccoli and Carrot Top Soup

  Ingredients:

• 2 cups broccoli pieces and stems

• Carrot tops

• 1 Onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 cups vegetable stock

• 1 TBSP olive oil

• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

• Wash vegetable scraps well, especially carrot tops.

• Roughly chop everything.

• Adde oil, onions and garlic to a stockpot and sauté until soft.

• Add broccoli, carrot tops, and stock.

• Boil for about 20 minutes until the broccoli is soft.

• Add salt and pepper to taste.

• Let cool then add the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.  

Carrot Top Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrot leaves (from about 1 bunch of carrots)

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

• 1/4 cup roasted cashews

• 1 clove garlic

• Kosher salt

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Instructions:

• Pulse the carrot and parsley leaves, cashews and garlic in a food processor until coarsely ground. 

• With the processor on, slowly drizzle in the oil, and process until blended well. 

• Add the Parmesan and some salt, and pulse until combined.

• Toss with cooked pasta and roasted vegetables.
  

Elevated Beverage Menu

Summer produce isn’t just for food; it can elevate your beverage menu as well. Create refreshing mocktails, infused cocktails, and smoothies that feature seasonal vegetables, fruits, and herbs:

Infused Water: Create refreshing water infused with slices of cucumber, berries, or citrus fruits.

Cocktail Infusions: Infuse spirits with fruits and herbs to create unique cocktails.

Fresh Juices: Blend excess fruits and vegetables into fresh, health-focused juices.

Smoothies:  Offer health-focused drinks that blend fresh fruits and vegetables.

Cocktails: Craft cocktails and mocktails made with fresh fruit purees, infused syrups, and herbs like mint or basil.  

Create Vivid Menu Descriptions

By using these creative descriptions, you can highlight the freshness, flavor, and appeal of your summer vegetables, enticing customers to try and enjoy the seasonal bounty your restaurant offers.

Use vivid, enticing descriptions on your menu to emphasize the freshness and quality of seasonal ingredients.

Using imaginative and vivid descriptions for summer vegetables can make your menu items more appealing to customers. Here are some creative descriptions for various summer vegetables:

• Our heirloom tomatoes offer a burst of sun-ripened sweetness and tangy zest, offering a nostalgic taste of summer 

• Snap into summer with our crunchy, bright, and tender green beans, the perfect complement to any meal

• Our juicy, jewel-toned organic cherry tomatoes are nature’s candy, bursting with sweetness 

• Fresh from the vine, our verdant zucchini boasts a tender crunch and earthy flavor 

• Golden and sun-kissed, our yellow squash is vibrant and buttery,  adding a splash of color and a hint of sweetness to your favorite dish 

• Plucked at peak ripeness, every bite of our sweet corn offers a burst of sweetness, delightful crunch, and a pure taste of sunshine 

• Adding a kick to your meal, our fiery jalapeños pack a punch of heat and freshness

• Cool, crisp, and juicy,  our delicate cucumbers are like a sweet pop of summer in your mouth  

• Earthy and vibrant, our tri-colored beets bring a deep, sweet flavor and a stunning hue to your salad

• Peppery and bold arugula adds a zesty bite to salads, pizzas, and wraps and sandwiches 

• Nutrient-rich, our fresh baby kale leaves are a versatile green that add a healthy twist to any dish.
  

Make the Best of Excess 

Managing excess summer produce can be a challenge, but it presents an opportunity to create unique and appealing dishes. Extend the shelf life of summer produce with these inventive methods that let you offer seasonal flavors throughout the year.

Pickled Vegetables: Pickle cucumbers, peppers, and carrots for a tangy side dish.

Frozen Berry Purees: Blend berries and freeze in ice cube trays for easy smoothie additions.  

Blanched Vegetables: Blanch and freeze zucchini for stir-fries and casseroles.

Dehydrated Apple Chips: Slice apples thinly and dehydrate for a crunchy snack.

Dried Berries: Dry strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for use in granola or baked goods.

Mixed Berry Jam: Combine strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for a delicious jam.

Peach Preserves: Make a sweet and tangy peach preserve.Pesto: Blend herbs, greens, and nuts to create a variety of pesto sauces.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Slice tomatoes, season with herbs, and dry in the sun or a dehydrator for a flavorful addition to salads and pasta.

Fermented Kimchi and Sauerkraut: Use cabbage, carrots, and radishes to create kimchi or sauerkraut.

Fermented Berry Syrup: Ferment berries to create a tangy, probiotic-rich syrup for cocktails or desserts.

Mint Extract: Steep fresh mint in alcohol to create a homemade mint extract.

Vanilla Extract: Make your own vanilla extract with vanilla beans and alcohol.

Herbal Kombucha: Infuse kombucha with fresh herbs like mint or basil.

Infused Chili Oil: Infuse oil with fresh chili peppers for a spicy kick.

Herb Vinegars: Infuse vinegar with fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.

Zucchini Bread: Bake moist zucchini bread with surplus zucchini.

Carrot Cake: Incorporate fresh carrots into cakes or cupcakes.

Cucumber Pickles: Create a variety of pickles (dill, sweet, spicy) that can be used as condiments or sold as a unique house-made product.

Mango Chutney: Cook down mangoes with spices for a sweet and savory condiment.

Tomato Chutney: Make a tangy chutney with fresh tomatoes, onions, and spices.

Zucchini Relish: Use excess zucchini to make a tangy relish for burgers and sandwiches.

Gazpacho: A refreshing cold soup made from tomatoes, cucumbers, and pe

Take Away

By creatively showcasing summer’s seasonal ingredients, you can enhance your menu's appeal, highlight local ingredients, and emphasize your commitment to sustainable food practices to keep your menu vibrant all summer long.

By Eileen Strauss