12 Recipes for the Ultimate Spring Dinner Party

Fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil add a bright creaminess to puréed favas, best enjoyed on crispy baguette slices (with buffalo mozzarella, of course.)

Another excellent use of favas? Mauricio Couly’s mint-flecked empanadas, which are easy to make with store-bought wrappers. (You can use frozen lima beans here, too.)

There’s no better way to start an evening than with a few refreshing pitcher cocktails. This ginger shandy has just four ingredients—lemon, ginger beer, beer, and mint for garnish.

Chef Eli Dahlin of Dame in Portland, Oregon, blends cottage cheese into this fantastic buttermilk dressing.

Daniel Boulud’s velvety pea soup goes perfectly with a brisk Austrian Grüner Veltliner.

This light, nutty grain salad is delicious at any temperature.

This simple and creamy pasta dish celebrates the long-awaited arrival asparagus, with sage adding a welcome earthiness.

For something lighter, try this bright, lemony pasta salad that’s packed with spring vegetables and fresh herbs. Make extra to have for lunch the next day.

Once cooked, the nettles lose their sting and offer a deep, earthy flavor that’s delicious with the green garlic cream.

Garlic and herbs make a super-flavorful rub for this pork shoulder, which comes out juicy and crusty after a long slow-roasting.

Make sure to only barely cook the rhubarb, so that it retains its crispness and tangy flavor in this silky fruit dessert.

This buttery, nutty cornmeal cake becomes extra decadent with a mascarpone-cream topping.