Mark Bittman’s Pork and Watermelon Tacos Highlight Late Summer’s Bounty

Plus, recipes for a comforting corn and cheddar chowder and indulgent hot lava fudge cakes, just for two

Mark Bittman,

AARP

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Published August 22, 2025

A four-part photo collage combines (from left); Mark Bittman, Corn and Cheddar Chowder, Crisp Pork and Watermelon Tacos and Hot Lava Fudge Cakes.

This menu for two by Mark Bittman delivers on seasonal favorites. (From left) Corn and Cheddar Chowder, Crisp Pork and Watermelon Tacos and Hot Lava Fudge Cakes.

Courtesy Mark Bittman; Aya Brackett; Jim Henkens; Ghazalle Badiozamani

I’m in my happy place, food-wise, in August — melon, so much corn, zucchini, tomatoes. Those of us who don’t live on the West Coast are having our yearly moment, and here on my upstate New York farm, it’s been as wonderful as ever. I try to incorporate some kind of seasonal fruit or vegetable throughout the year whenever I can, but it’s blissfully easy in late summer. What I’m sharing today is no exception: Corn and Cheddar Chowder (no roux — just the thickening power of potatoes), Crisp Pork and Watermelon Tacos (one of the best salty-sweet pairings I’ve had), and Hot Lava Fudge Cakes (really simple; a restaurant staple comes home).

The corn right now is terrific; I’ve eaten my weight in it and will continue to do so until it’s gone. The chowder here can be made any time of the year with frozen corn (you’ll love it, I promise), but right now it’s going to be especially good (I’d recommend doubling the recipe — chowder all week). And I can say the same thing about watermelon — it’s not normally my favorite fruit, but have you seen it this year? I saw one the other day that was a deep, bright, gorgeous red — it would have been awesome in the pork tacos you’re hopefully going to make for dinner tonight. And you’ll end the meal with individual lava cakes, because who doesn’t love those?

Corn and Cheddar Chowder

This hearty Corn and Cheddar Chowder skips the roux and uses potato starch for quick thickening.

Aya Brackett

Makes 2 servings

Time: 30 minutes

Always hearty and filling, chowder usually starts with a béchamel-like combination of flour, fat, and milk. Since you’ll be chopping a lot for the Corn and Cheddar Chowder, you can take a shortcut and skip the roux. The starch in potatoes is the vessel for its thickening power, generating the same effect as roux in a fraction of the time.

Ingredients

6 ounces russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1½ teaspoons chopped garlic

3 cups milk, or more as needed

Salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

4½ teaspoons unsalted butter

2 cups frozen corn kernels (or shuck 2 ears fresh corn)

1 celery stalk, chopped

4½ teaspoons flour

3 ounces grated white or yellow cheddar cheese (about 3/4 cup), plus more for garnish

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Directions

Put the potatoes and garlic in a 3-quart saucepan with the milk over medium heat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the milk begins to boil, adjust the heat so it bubbles gently and add the bay leaf. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from scalding, until the potatoes are tender but not yet breaking apart, 10 to 15 minutes.

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Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and celery and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the celery softens and the corn is heated through, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture darkens slightly and smells toasted, another 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the corn mixture to the potatoes along with the cheese. Cook, stirring frequently, until the soup is steaming and has thickened a bit, 5 to 10 minutes. If it's too thick, add more milk, 2 tablespoons at a time until the texture is right for you. Taste and adjust the seasoning and remove the bay leaf. Garnish with more black pepper, cheese, and the chives, and serve. —Recipe from Dinner for Everyone

Crisp Pork and Watermelon Tacos

Pork and Watermelon Tacos pair something crisp and sort of fatty with something cool and juicy.

Jim Henkens

Makes 2 servings

Time: 30 minutes

This bundle of taco and fruit is a lesson in counterpoints: pairing something crisp and sort of fatty with something cool and juicy. Since the fruit is unadorned, I try to use whatever is in season: In winter, citrus, mango, or pineapple are good; strawberries in spring; but in late summer — you can’t beat watermelon, which might be the best of the lot.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

8 ounces boneless pork sirloin or loin chops, cut into thin strips about 2 inches long and ¼-inch wide

Salt and pepper

½ small seedless watermelon, peeled and chopped into ½-inch chunks (you’ll need only 1 cup chopped)

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 lime, halved

Leaves from a few sprigs fresh cilantro

6 corn tortillas

2 ounces crumbled queso fresco (½ cup; optional)

Directions

Put the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the pork in a single layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook undisturbed until it begins to crisp on the bottom and release from the pan, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the spices are fragrant and the pork is crisp and no longer bright pink at the center, about 3 minutes more.

Put the tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds or so to warm them up. To assemble the tacos, put a little of the pork on a tortilla, top with watermelon and cilantro, and squeeze lime juice over the top. Sprinkle with queso fresco if you’re using it and serve. —Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Hot Lava Fudge Cakes

Hot Lava Fudge Cakes are small in size but big on flavor.

Ghazalle Badiozamani

Makes 2 individual cakes

Time: 45 minutes

These decadent, small chocolate cakes are a classic — and a delicious way to introduce your kids (or grandkids) to baking. The surprise inside always delivers — warm, gooey fudge that pours onto your plate the minute you stick in your fork. (Or spoon!) Just make sure to eat them as soon as you turn the cake upside down onto your plate for maximum enjoyment.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, plus more softened butter for smearing

2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 eggs (1 whole; 1 separated)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

⅛ teaspoon salt

Directions

Grease two 4-ounce (½-cup) ceramic, glass, or metal baking dishes or ramekins generously with softened butter.

Melt the ½ stick butter in the microwave or in a 1-quart pot over medium-low heat. Take the butter off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until it’s melted into the butter. Use a soft spatula to scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let it sit.

Put the whole egg and the yolk in a medium bowl. (Save the egg white for another use if you’d like.) Add the sugar and beat with a whisk or an electric mixer until light and thick, about 1 minute (1 or 2 minutes longer by hand).

Add the egg mixture, flour, and salt to the bowl with the melted chocolate and whisk or stir until combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared dishes. (At this point you can refrigerate the batter for up to 3 hours; just bring it back to room temperature before baking.)

When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 450°F. Put the baking dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the cakes have puffed up a bit, the tops are no longer shiny and liquid, and the center of the cakes still jiggles slightly when shaken, 7 to 9 minutes. It’s way better to bake them too little than too much. Take the pan out of the oven and let the cakes rest for 1 minute.

Put a plate on top of each dish and carefully invert each cake upside down onto the plate. Wait about 10 seconds, then remove the baking dish and eat right away. — Adapted from How to Cook Everything Kids

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For more than three decades, Mark Bittman has been leading voice in global food culture and policy, in addition to his work at The New York Times, where he created The Minimalist, was the Sunday magazine’s lead food writer, and became the country’s first weekly opinion writer at a major publication to concentrate on food. He’s the author of dozens of books, including Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food from Sustainable to Suicidal and the How to Cook Everything series. He’s editor in chief of The Bittman Project, a membership-based platform that includes a newsletter, website and the podcast Food With Mark Bittman.