To celebrate Summer,this delight is ridiculously easy & outrageously good. Savory but sweet, almost dessert-like, but better as a side dish

Have you embraced fall already? Are you drinking coffee flavored with pumpkin spice? Donning scarves and light sweaters? Raking leaves into piles? Wait! I'm not quite done with summer yet! The pool near me is open for another couple of weeks, and there's still a bit of stone fruit at the market, peeking out from behind barrels of apples and pears. If you see any plums at your market, pick them up! They're great in this end-of-summer bowl with yellow squash and creamy whipped ricotta - or cottage cheese.

In the process of developing this recipe, it came to my attention that cottage cheese suffers from a bad reputation. Is it its affiliation with low-calorie diets from years past? Is it the texture? Is it the flavor?

I was admittedly not a huge fan of the stuff until I tried cultured, whole milk cottage cheese recently. It is remarkably creamy and rich, with a deeper, funkier tang than plain yogurt. I was hooked and started eating it for breakfast and lunch, with jam swirled in or roasted tomatoes piled on top. It's nice with chunks of melon; it works as a spread for bread. And if you like its flavor, it's great whipped in a food processor and topped with sauteed late summer vegetables and fruit.

But if you don't, I think you still should try this simple meal. It is just as good with whipped ricotta, if a little richer. Saute yellow squash or zucchini just until it browns on all sides but stays juicy in the center. Pile this on top of the whipped cheese of your choice. In the same pan, saute sliced plums until they caramelize and get a bit jammy.

Let their juices stain the cheese purple before you sprinkle flaky sea salt, chopped pistachios and fresh basil leaves over each bowl. Then, dig in. It's our last taste of summer, a last gasp of all the flavors we get to enjoy for only a few months each year.

Squash and Plum Bowls With Ricotta

TOTAL TIME:: 30 minutes
SERVINGS: 2; makes about 2 cups ricotta and 2 cups vegetables
STORAGE NOTES: Storage note: Refrigerate the soup and butter separately for up to 4 days.
MAKE AHEAD:: The barbecue sauce butter can be prepared and refrigerated up to 1 week in advance.

: Inspired by the produce of late summer, these fruity vegetable bowls are based around creamy cheese - either whipped ricotta or cultured cottage cheese. (Whipping the cheese smooths it out and makes it especially creamy, but you can skip this step, especially if you like the texture of the cheese.) The recipe plays with richness and lightness, saltiness and sweetness. Make it more or less savory or sweet to suit your taste. Serve these bowls as a light main course with crusty bread for dipping in the cheese, or as an appetizer before a heartier main.

If you can't have dairy, consider serving this over lightly whipped, unsweetened coconut-based yogurt. The sauteed squash and plums would also be nice over mashed sweet potatoes or atop cooked quinoa.

If you can't find plums in your area, substitute pears

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INGREDIENTS
• 1 pound ricotta or cultured cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small yellow squash (12 ounces total), chopped
• 4 plums, preferably black or purple (12 ounces total), pitted and sliced
• Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
• Flaky salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped pistachios, cashews or pumpkin seeds, for serving (optional)
• Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Whip the ricotta in a food processor until creamy and light, about 30 seconds. Divide it between two bowls.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the yellow squash and saute until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Divide between the two bowls. Return the skillet to the heat, add the plums and saute until they begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme leaves, and then divide between the two bowls.

Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over each bowl and garnish each with the flaky salt and black pepper. Sprinkle each bowl with chopped nuts or seeds, if using. Serve with crusty bread.

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