I am the queen of rustic desserts, which is a nice way to label desserts that are rather imperfect. The good news is that there is plenty of room for rustic and, yes, imperfect desserts in anyone's repertoire. In fact, most cuisines tout their own homey version of bubbling, squidgy desserts cobbled together with crumpled and crinkled borders oozing juices like a ruptured pipe. They're supposed to do that, and more important, they taste really good.

When one lacks a certain gene for patience and finesse, these desserts are just right. They relieve all pressure to be exacting, methodical and, well, perfect. Once that pressure is removed, there is plenty of space to simply relax, bake and eat. Just be sure to pass the napkins.

Plum Galette

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling time

Yield: 6 servings

Pastry:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut in 1/2-inch cubes

2 to 3 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling:

6 large plums, halved, pitted and sliced; or 12 small plums, halved, pitted

6 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Pinch of salt

Prepare the pastry: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into flour with your fingertips until the dough resembles coarse meal. Add enough water to bind the dough. Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk, then wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Prepare the galette: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the plums in a large bowl with 4 tablespoons sugar, the flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.

Roll out the dough on parchment paper into a 12-inch circle. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Mound the plums over the sugar. Sprinkle the plums with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Fold the border of the dough up and around the plums. (The center of the galette will be exposed.)

Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet and transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove and cool the galette before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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How do you like to eat watermelon? Undoubtedly, it's a summer treat. I remember hot New England summers when the air was so humid you could slice it with knife. My brothers and I would eat thick watermelon-smiles, as wide as our faces, leaning over the grass, while the juices dribbled down our chins and forearms, and spitting the seeds out (at each other, of course).

But there's more to watermelon than simply a slurpy snack or a seed fight. Watermelons are nourishing and thirst-quenching. They are mostly water (92 percent), but they are also rich in vitamins (A and C) and nutrients, such as magnesium and potassium.

In the Mediterranean, watermelon is served for breakfast and throughout the day as a hydrating refreshment, easy to eat and full of natural juices. Watermelon is also delicious in salads, adding mellow sweetness and mild flavor with each healthy bite, while perfectly complementing peppery greens, sharp onions and salty cheese.

Nowadays, watermelon is available in a seedless variety, which not only makes for more refined slurping, it's also easier to dice and cube when adding to salads. In this bulgur salad, watermelon teams up with feta, sugar snap peas and red onion for a crisp, light and refreshing salad you can serve as a light meal or a side dish for your next barbecue. And, no worries, there's still a place at the table for the good, old-fashioned watermelon slices to slurp on if you crave a juicy seed fight.

Watermelon, Feta and Bulgur Salad

Active time: 30 minutes

Prep time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1 cup bulgur

1/2 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

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

1/2 small seedless watermelon, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, about 3 cups

2 handfuls sugar snap peas, stemmed and halved

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

4 ounces feta, crumbled

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves

Lemon zest for garnish

Place the bulgur in a bowl. Add 2 cups boiling water and the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and let stand until the bulgur is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain any excess water and fluff the bulgur with a fork.

Whisk the oil, lime juice, cumin, black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the dressing to the bulgur and stir to combine. Taste and add 1 more tablespoon dressing if desired (the rest will be drizzled over the salad).

Transfer the bulgur to a serving platter. Scatter the watermelon, snap peas and red onion over the bulgur. Top with the feta, parsley and mint. Drizzle with the remaining dressing. Garnish with finely grated lemon zest and additional black pepper. Serve immediately.

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Do you crave spicy food when it's hot outside? It may sound counterintuitive, but when you eat food that packs a punch in the heat department, it cools you down. Spicy food makes you sweat, because it speeds up your metabolism, and once the sweat evaporates, it cools you off. This is a reason why hot peppers and spices are generously used in many warm-weather cuisines, such as this Caribbean barbecue recipe for Jamaican jerk chicken. Jerk cuisine is a method of rubbing a spice blend or marinating meat in a thick paste, packed with island-fresh chilis, herbs and spices. The marinade and spices infuse flavor and tenderize the meat, so the longer the chicken can soak in the marinade, the better the flavor.

Jerk paste is meant to be hot -- really hot -- which is traditionally achieved by adding Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers to the blend. I lean more gently when it comes to the peppers and substitute jalapenos or serranos -- I wouldn't want my dinner guests to self-combust. But if you prefer the rock stars of the Scoville Scale (the measurement of the heat units of peppers), then by all means go for the Scotch bonnets -- and remember to carefully seed the peppers with gloved hands!

The list of spices and aromatics in this jerk paste is lengthy, but don't let that deter you. All you need to do is pile them into a food processor, blend away and slather on the chicken. (Just don't inhale any of the peppery air that may waft up from the feed tube while it processes.) The only other requirement is the fire of the grill to unify the flavors, add smoke and char, and crisp the chicken into spicy finger-licking deliciousness.

Jerk Chicken

Active time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour, plus 24 to 36 hours marinating time

Yield: 8 servings

Marinade:

4 garlic cloves

4 scallions, chopped, plus more for garnish

2 jalapenos, stemmed and seeded (optional) (or other pepper varieties)

1 (2-inch) knob ginger, peeled, chopped

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for garnish

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons ground allspice

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 whole chicken legs

Place all the marinade ingredients except the chicken in the bowl of a food processor and process to form a paste. Arrange the chicken in a large baking dish. Rub the marinade all over the chicken and under the skin where possible. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.

Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over medium heat. Grill the chicken over indirect heat until charred and golden brown and thoroughly cooked through, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the legs. During the last few moments of grilling, move the chicken to direct heat to char the skin as needed. Serve garnished with chopped scallions and lime wedges.

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