Our latest contest theme, Your Best Recipe With Summer Fruit, highlighted the brightest recipes starring seasonal summer produce. We were looking for creative and delicious recipes from our community of home cooks. The possibilities were endless: From sweet to savory, appetizers to entrees and cocktails, you did not disappoint, and we cooked and ate our way through dozens of intriguing finalists.
With such a wide range of recipes to choose from, it wasn't an easy choice, but we narrowed it down to two. Becca Jacobs No Bake Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Summer Fruit Swirl is a creamy and delicious no bake cheese cake with a jammy summer fruit swirl while Meera Bhave gave us Plum & Summer Squash Phylo Samosas crisp and flaky savory samosa utilizing a surprising combination of both fruit and vegetables.
Picking a winner is never an easy task, especially with two amazing and delicious recipes, but thanks to our awesome community we have narrowed it down to one. Cue the drumroll....
Congratulations, Becca—we all loved your cheesecake, and were excited to learn more about your winning dish in the Q&A below. We also want to congratulate the runner up, Meera, whose samosas were absolutely delicious.
What's your least favorite food?
I'll eat anything, but I have to say I prefer not to eat raw spinach; it really just makes my teeth feel a bit fuzzy, and there are usually more flavorful raw greens that could take its place.
What is the best thing you've made so far this year?
Recently I made this big whole braised leg of lamb and served it with mint-laminated ravioli filled with whipped feta. I just had this idea for how this meal would go, so I fired up the group chat to have some (vaccinated!) friends over for dinner. I went to the farmers market to get the goods and it all fell into place like magic.
Describe your most spectacular kitchen disaster.
I had a major chocolate craving so I decided to eyeball making brownies while missing a few key ingredients. I somehow created a non-Newtonian fluid that was both raw batter and rock-hard at the same time. It was a major failure.
What is your idea of comfort food?
Comfort food to me is anything warm and carb-heavy that is best served in bowl form.
Apron or no apron?
Apron, always. I am a home cook, which means I am messy and often cooking up until the last minute before dinner is on the table. Plus the bright-colored ones make me smile.
What's your favorite food-related scene in a movie?
The aglio-e-olio scene in Chef. That pasta has inspired many last-minute dinners in my kitchen.
Who is someone you'd love to cook for, and why?
I don't have any one particular in mind—I just love cooking for people who love food and are willing to try new things. I'm not sure I could show a world-class chef anything new, but my neighbors? My friends? My Family? Those are the people I get the most excited about cooking for.
See what other Food52 readers are saying.