| Good Saturday morning, everyone. A big thanks to assistant recipes editor Olga Massov for filling in here last week while I spent quality time with my family. It was a bittersweet week to come back to. As you may have heard, we said goodbye Thursday to many colleagues who took The Post's voluntary separation package, including Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan. Joe held the position for 19 years, and I worked with him for 16 of them. I'm a self-taught cook, so the amount of culinary knowledge I have gleaned from Joe over that time — about beans, how to feed a family, vegan ingredients and so much more — can't be quantified. I know many of you feel the same way and will miss him as much as I already do. One of the lessons Joe shared in his farewell column touched on the fact that authenticity is often a myth (and a trap). "Purists get hung up on what absolutely must be in a certain dish without allowing for the fact that cooking changes as often as language does. … Often, what we consider the most authentic version of a dish is merely a snapshot, capturing when it was made a certain way and codified." It was a particularly fitting point to make, given that Joe's last recipe as our editor was for a spectacular Corn Gazpacho, the culinary equivalent of a mic drop, in my opinion. Sure enough, some comments fixated on this departure from the traditional Spanish version (which we also have in our archives). But by doing so, they're depriving themselves of the joy of a sunny soup that celebrates the best of summer produce and walks the line between sweet and sharp flavors. "Highly recommend. A great parting gift from Joe," reads one early review. "Made with yellow cherry tomatoes, peppers and basil from my garden. I now appreciate uncooked corn," says another. Joe wasn't the only one who chose to highlight summer produce this week. Aaron Hutcherson's Skillet Chicken Thighs With Plums blew me away with its jammy, sweet-tart sauce. Aaron is a master at developing recipes that result in succulent, flavorful chicken, so if that's been a struggle for you, give this one a try. It will also make you appreciate plums in a new way, especially since this stone fruit is often overshadowed by its more popular relatives. And the raves are pouring in: "This was absolutely amazing!" "Absolutely delicious." "Easy and excellent!" Speaking of stone fruit and happy customers, let me next point you to Ellie Krieger's Skillet Peaches With Maple Pecans. Think of it as a lighter take on peach pie, featuring gently simmered fruit in a silken sauce and capped off with candied nuts. "Made the recipe exactly as written," says one reader review. "Served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Delicious! What we call a 'treat no treat.'" How else are you making the most of seasonal produce, or how would you like to? Aaron and I would love to hear about it and help you out in our live weekly chat Wednesday at noon Eastern. Send along your questions now, then return when we all sit down at our computers for the conversation. Until next week, happy cooking. | 
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