I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I love fresh fruit and often gravitate to cool, light dishes if I’m making dessert. Since we’re enjoying the last of our summertime in the Bay Area, I recently made this melon and berry-laden Hong Kong-style dessert to beat the warm weather.

Feel free to substitute with different fruits: honeydew melon can be used in place of cantaloupe and lychees can be added instead of mangoes. Adapted from a Martin Yan recipe, this pudding can be served in champagne flutes or parfait glasses for an elegant presentation.

Rainbow Tapioca Pudding

3/4 cup small pearl tapioca
1 cup cold water
2 cups warm water
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup each pureed cantaloupe, strawberries, and mango
1/4 cup coconut milk

1. Soak the tapioca in cold water for 30 minutes (most of the water will be absorbed); drain.

2. Combine warm water and sugar in a heavy medium pan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add soaked tapioca and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and tapioca becomes translucent, about 15 minutes. Divide mixture evenly among 3 bowls and let cool.

3. Gently whisk pureed fruit, separately, into each of the three bowls of tapioca. In 4 champagne flutes or parfait glasses, pour one layer of each tapioca mixture; chill until ready to serve.

4. To serve, top each dessert 1 tablespoon of coconut milk.

Kashk-e Bademjaan (Iranian Eggplant Dip)

It’s eggplant season! Yes, this vegetable deserves an exclamation point. Eggplant is ubiquitous in Iranian cuisine, and luckily for me, it’s in season in the Bay Area right now. I’ve been buying pounds and pounds of it to cook one of my favorite dishes: kashk-e bademjaan. A favorite at gatherings and picnics, this dip is garlicy, minty, and slightly piquant, thanks to kashk, a thick condiment similar to whey that’s used in Persian cooking. Served with naan or a similar flatbread, kashk-e bademjaan is the perfect way to make use of my eggplant bounty.

This recipe is adapted from two sources: my mom’s guidance over the phone as I hurriedly cooked this the first time for a dinner party, and Najmieh Batmanglij’s definitive English-language cookbook on Persian cuisine: New Food of Life. (Sidenote: Batmanglij’s son, Rostam, is a member of Vampire Weekend and Discovery. Guess what I listen to when I’m cooking from Najmieh’s cookbook?)

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup liquid whey (kashk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the garnish:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dried mint
2 tablespoons liquid whey (kashk)
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

1. Peel eggplants and cut into 4 slices lengthwise. Place in a colander and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt to remove bitterness and excess moisture. Let stand for 30 minutes, then pat dry.

2. Brown the eggplants in a non-stick skillet with 1/4 cup of oil. Add onions and garlic and brown for an additional two minutes, adding another tablespoon of oil if needed. Add 1 cup of water, cover, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and mash in a food processor. Add 1/2 cup of whey, salt, and pepper, and mix well.

3. Just before serving, saute minced garlic in remaining 2 tablespoons oil at low heat, until golden. Remove skillet from heat, add dried mint, and mix well.

4. Place the eggplant in a serving bowl and garnish with 2 tablespoons whey, the garlic and mint mixture, and a few drops of saffron water. Serve with flatbread and fresh herbs.

Last week, you were introduced to the first of my new crew of contributors. Each week these ladies will be sharing a bit of what they love. You can read up about them individually in my about section. Every third Thursday, Mariam will be sharing good eats from San Fransisco and around the world.

Smoked Salmon and Avocado Onigiri

Ever since I visited Japan two years ago, onigiri, small balls of rice wrapped in nori and stuffed with various fillings, have become one of my favorite go-to snacks. Fun to make, endlessly customizable and easy to transport, onigiri make for a perfect summer dish.

These onigiri showcase what’s ripe in the Bay Area markets now: creamy, potassium-rich avocados, paired with rich, omega-3-rich salmon. The nori seaweed that these are wrapped in is full of minerals and fiber, so this dish couldn’t be any healthier.

Onigiri (which are also popular in Hawaii as musubi and Korea as jumeok bap) can be challenging to wrap at first, but with a little practice, it’s very easy. Plus, onigiri can be wrapped in a myriad of shapes, so go with what feels right.

Ingredients:

2 cups sushi rice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large avocado, halved and thinly sliced
4 ounces sliced lox or nova salmon
4 teaspoons furikake (Japanese sesame seed and seaweed seasoning; can be found at many Asian grocery stores)
4 sheets toasted nori, cut lengthwise in half

1. Bring rice and 3 1/4 cups water to a boil, covered, then simmer 20 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rimmed baking sheet and toss gently with salt.

2. Moisten your hands with water and divide rice into 10 balls. Set 1 ball on a piece of plastic wrap, pinch off half, and flatten remaining rice into a small round. Layer with avocado, salmon, and about 1/2 teaspoon furikake, leaving 1/2-inch border around filling. Top with rest of rice and use plastic wrap to help you form a blunt triangle about 1 inch thick. Repeat with remaining rice and fillings.

3. Position base of 1 rice triangle facing you. Center 1 nori half-sheet over rice, angling it diagonally from left bottom corner. Tuck ends around triangle, shaping as you go along to enfold the rice. Serve room temperature.