by Peter Som
There is a particular magic to cooking in the Hamptons in summer—the windows thrown open, a salt-tinged breeze drifting in from the water, the kitchen counter piled high with farm stand produce and just-picked berries still warm from the sun. It’s the kind of cooking that asks nothing of you except that you show up hungry and a little unhurried.
For me, it’s also where my two great loves—the food I grew up eating and the abundance of the East End—get to meet. These recipes from my cookbook, Family Style, are exactly that: deviled eggs reimagined through the lens of Lunar New Year tea eggs, but made for a summery afternoon spread, a sweet-sour rack of ribs that nods to the Chinese pork dishes of my childhood, and a berry snack cake that practically begs to be baked and eaten all throughout the day. With the best local ingredients like the Hamptons has, all you have to do is let them take center stage and enjoy.
CRISPY DEVILED TEA EGGS
The wonderful world of deviled eggs is a treasure trove, and I’ve given them my own twist. Chinese tea eggs are eggs that have been boiled, then peeled (or the shell cracked) and marinated in a tea-based marinade, which imparts a complex, delicious salty spiced flavor. They’re traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year, but there’s no need to enjoy them only on special occasions. The deviled part here—the yolk—is flavored with oyster sauce and nori, and finished with the crunch of panko. These are one-biters in my book.
Makes 12 deviled eggs
Ingredients:
For the Marinade
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
1 star anise
2 teaspoons sugar
3 black tea bags
For the Panko Topping
3 teaspoons olive oil
cup panko
teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ cup finely chopped mix of dill and cilantro, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For Everything Else
6 large eggs
3 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise
½ teaspoon oyster sauce
½ teaspoon mustard powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 sheet nori, finely chopped
1 tablespoon bonito flakes
Get farm-fresh eggs from: Iacono Farm, East Hampton, Mecox Bay Dairy, Bridgehampton, Crowley’s Farmstand, Sagaponack
Instructions:
1. Make the marinade: In a small pot over medium heat, add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, sugar, tea bags and 1 ½ cups of water. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, then remove the tea bags. Transfer to an airtight lidded container.
2. Rinse the pot and fill with water and bring to a boil. Gently lower eggs in and cook for 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with ice and fill with water to cool completely. Peel eggs and place them in the marinade. Cover the container and refrigerate for 30 hours, stirring the eggs a few times to ensure the marinade coats all the eggs.
3. Make the panko topping: Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat and heat until shimmering. Add the panko and toast, stirring frequently until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in paprika and herbs, then transfer to a plate and spread out to let cool. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. To assemble, cut eggs in half, wiping the blade clean between each cut, then remove yolks with a spoon and transfer to a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, oyster sauce and mustard powder, and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use two spoons to spoon yolk mixture back into the egg whites.
5. To serve, spread half the panko on a serving plate, then top with deviled eggs. Sprinkle with the remaining panko and
top with nori and bonito flakes. Garnish with dill and cilantro and serve.
SWEET-AND-SOUR STICKY RIBS WITH CITRUS PEANUT GREMOLATA
It’s my ode to a favorite—Chinese pork ribs (pai gwat). Usually lightly burnished with a sweet, savory, sticky coating, I’ve decided to shake things up and give ’em the sweet-and-sour treatment. That rich, tangy sauce enrobing juicy fall-off-the-bone tender meat and then crowned with a refreshing herbaceous gremolata punctuated by the crunch of peanuts.
Get ribs from:
Peconic Prime Meats, Southampton
Red Horse Market, Southampton and East Hampton
Citarella, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Southampton and Westhampton
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
For the Sweet-and-Sour Sauce
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2-3 drops red food coloring (optional)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon sriracha
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
For the Dry Rub
1 tablespoon five spice powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cayenne powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Ribs
1 rack baby back pork ribs (approximately 4 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ cup beer, apple cider or water
For the Gremolata
1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested
1 lime, zested
½ cup minced flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup chopped roasted salted peanuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 275 F.
2. Make the sweet-and-sour sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add ketchup, rice wine vinegar, food coloring (if using), soy sauce, maple syrup, sriracha and salt, and stir to combine. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until completely combined, then pour mixture into the saucepan, stir, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Make the dry rub: In a small bowl, add the five spice, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Rub the rack of ribs with olive oil then coat completely with rub on all sides, patting with your hands to adhere.
4. Arrange prepared rack bone-side down on a foil-lined sheet pan or roasting pan (if your rack is large, cut it in half). Pour the beer into the pan, taking care not to pour it onto the rack. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 2 hours.
5. Remove foil; turn ribs bone-side up and brush generously with sauce. Raise the oven temp to 400 F and roast for another 20 minutes, flipping the ribs and slathering with more sauce every five minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the gremolata: In a small bowl, combine orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest, flat-leaf parsley, peanuts and olive oil.
7. Brush more sauce on the top of the rack and broil on high for 2-3 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and starting to darken. Remove ribs from the oven and brush one final coat of sauce on top. Let rest for 15 minutes, then cut.
8. Sprinkle with gremolata and serve with more sweet-and-sour sauce alongside.
SUMMER BERRY SNACK CAKE
If there was ever a no-brainer cake to make for no reason at all (which is sometimes the best reason) here it is. This is one of those cakes that can be whipped up on the fly and studded with practically any fruit you might have on hand. And you know, a slice in the morning with coffee is just as delightful as a slice after dinner with some whipped cream or ice cream—so have at it!
Drink with: Wölffer Estate Summer in a Bottle Long Island Sauvignon Blanc, 2025
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks), plus more for the pan
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lime zest
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons yellow miso
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blackberries
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom and ginger; whisk to combine and set aside.
3. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment) add butter. Using the paddle attachment or a hand mixer on medium speed, beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, lime zest, lemon zest and miso; continue to beat until pale green and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and Greek yogurt. Turn mixer to low (or switch to a spatula), add in the flour mixture and beat or stir until just combined. At this point the batter will look curdled and broken—don’t worry!
4. Fold in half the raspberries and half the blackberries, then transfer the batter to the prepared pan (the batter will be quite thick). Use a knife or offset spatula to level the top. Dot the batter with the remaining berries. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
5. Bake for 10 minutes (it will start to puff up), then reduce the temperature to 325 F and bake for another 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs attached. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan. then invert it onto a wire rack. Let it sit until fully cooled; slice and serve. petersom.com
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