Taste of summer

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add eggs, salt, and pepper; cook through. Set eggs aside. Over medium-high heat, brown Spam with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add garlic and cook another minute. Toss in peas, carrots, and pineapple. Cook, stirring often until heated. Add rice, breaking up any clumps, gently tossing to combine. Pour in fish sauce and soy sauce. Reincorporate eggs and top with green onions. Stir occasionally until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to serving dish(es). If you’d like to try the Hawaiian way of eating Spam fried rice, drizzle the top with ketchup (or Sriracha), if desired.

Pour water into a small, microwave-safe dish. Heat in microwave until boiling. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add lime juice and rum (optional), then place dish in freezer until cooled, about 15 minutes. With a food processor, puree frozen mango, slowly adding the sugar/water mixture until very smooth. If sorbet tastes too sweet, add more lime juice or mango. Pour into a freezable container and smooth out top with a spatula. (Metal containers aid in freezing faster.) Cover and place in the far back of the freezer for 8 hours. If the sorbet hasn’t frozen to a scoopable consistency, blend in 1/4 cup cold water and freeze for 2 more hours. Repeat if needed. Let sorbet soften on the counter to scoop more easily. Serves 4.

Peel shallot and garlic cloves, then finely chop. Remove stems from parsley and cilantro; finely chop the leaves. Transfer all to a bowl with a lid. Mix in oregano, vinegar, olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Wait 15 minutes, then test flavor balance. If sauce tastes bland, sprinkle in some more salt and/or add a few more dashes of vinegar. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil over medium heat. Sauté chopped yellow onion and 2 minced garlic cloves until soft. Add chili powder, cumin, and turmeric; stir, cooking 1 minute. Pour in 1/4 cup water, stir, then mix in black beans. Heat until bubbling, then reduce to a simmer to keep warm.

Peel plantains by running a knife down the middle and peeling back the skin. Cut plantains into half-inch slices on a sharp diagonal. Heat 4 tablespoons coconut oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until the tip of a plantain slice dipped in the oil sizzles. Working in batches, place slices in a single layer with space between them and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side until they are a deep golden brown. If the plantains are browning too quickly or start to burn, turn down the heat so they can continue to cook on the inside. If the oil isn’t sizzling and the plantains are taking too long to brown, turn up the heat so they don’t absorb the oil and become soggy. Flip with a heat-proof spatula or tongs. Transfer plantains to a plate until all of them are finished cooking.

Spoon heated rice, black beans, and plantains into shallow bowls. Top with radishes, avocado, cilantro sprigs, and lime wedges. Drizzle with chimichurri sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place 1 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Using a heat-proof spoon, continuously stir sugar as it begins to clump, then melt into a golden-brown sauce. Remove from heat immediately and carefully pour into a 9-inch flan (or pie) dish. Protect your hands with a towel or oven mitts. Quickly tilt dish to evenly coat the bottom and up the sides before the syrup hardens (it will become a hard, sugarlike candy).

With a whisk, beat eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until blended but not foamy. Mix evaporated milk and coconut milk in a medium saucepan. Heat until steaming but not bubbling. Very slowly whisk hot milk into the egg mixture to avoid curdling.

Place the sugar-coated dish in a roasting pan/casserole dish large enough that it can hold the dish without the sides touching the edges of the pan. Evenly pour the egg mixture over the hardened sugar. Move to preheated oven, then pour hot water into the bottom of the roasting pan, avoiding the flan dish, until water reaches halfway up the side of the flan dish. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes, checking at 30 minutes and every 10 minutes after. Insert knife about 1 inch from the center of the custard. If knife is clean when pulled out, the custard is done. If any custard clings to the blade, bake a few minutes longer and test again. Flan should still be wiggly in the center.

When done, remove from oven and cool at room temperature in the water bath. Once cooled, gently loosen edges with the tip of the knife. Invert onto a large serving dish. Be sure to use a dish deep enough to contain the sauce that’ll drip down the sides. Cut into 8 slices, serve with sauce spooned over top, and sprinkle with the shaved coconut.

Serve warm or cold. Store in refrigerator.