Hot Days, Cool Food: The Best Cold Party Dishes From Ina Garten

Some specialty markets or smaller grocers offer in-house versions of this luxe treat, smoked with different types of wood for variations in flavour. Choose your favourite smoked salmon and serve it on a pretty platter with red onions, capers, lemons and fresh, fluffy dill (try sweet Meyer lemons, tiny cornichons or buttery giant caper berries for an upscale twist).

You already know the basics: provide a mix of textures and flavour strengths with your cheese, and take it out of the fridge ahead of time to bring it up to optimal serving temperature. Give your selection a soigné spin with fig or grape leaves, a variety of dried fruit (Ina suggests apricots, but you can also try figs, dates, cherries or more) and homemade Guinness brown bread.

As long as you remember to plan ahead with marinating the feta (and toasting some pita chips), this easy platter comes together with good store-bought ingredients. Artfully arrange dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), roasted red peppers and hummus for a hearty and satisfying no-cook meal.

Looking for a hint of sweetness in your hummus? Ina whips butternut squash into this take on the chickpea favourite, and drizzles an extra bit of maple syrup on top as a finishing touch. Greek yogurt adds a bit of sour tang as a counterpoint.

Should you have leftover smoked salmon, or even if you want to start from fresh, this simple spread is ready in no time. Ina favours Norwegian salmon for its drier and less salty texture.

Teeny-tiny blini look sophisticated, but if you can flip a pancake, then you can have these small bites on a platter and ready to devour in no time. Ina likes the traditional smoked salmon and crème fraîche topping, but you could use a favourite topping if you prefer.

One of Ina’s fan favourites, this crowd-pleasing appetizer trades powdered soup for slowly caramelized onions, meltingly soft and sweet combined with cream cheese, sour cream and good mayonnaise. Don’t disappoint Ina by subbing in substandard mayonnaise – this is one time to shell out for the good stuff or make your own.

The crispness of sugar snap peas, bell peppers and scallions gives this noodle salad its name. Ina uses smooth peanut butter here to blend well with the rest of the dressing ingredients, although chunky versions could also work.

Tossing eggplant, red peppers and onions together in a sheet pan to roast makes for an easy take on baba ghanoush. You won’t get the traditional charred flavour from grilling the eggplant over an open flame, but this sweeter, milder version will soon become a favourite addition to dinner on a hot night.

Late summer tomatoes are so beautiful that cooking them seems almost a waste. This no-cook carpaccio is redolent with puddles of a Caesar-esque dressing, salty capers and fleur de sel and shavings of parmesan. Ina recommends serving extra of the dressing in a pretty pitcher on the side so that guests can help themselves to more.